Redemption
by xXxKimikoxXx
Summary: When a person from Kakashi's past returns after years of being gone, what happens? How will Kakashi handle it? And what secrets will be revealed about her and himself? KakashiXOC Mild Language, Violence, Light Gore, Lemon in a later chapter. Pre-Shippuden
1. The Return

****Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy this story. The idea for this came to me one day and bugged the crap out of me until I finally wrote it and, after much editing, I feel it is ready. So please, read, review, and enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

As dawn's first light began to shine down on the village, Kakashi awoke from a deep, nightmare filled slumber. His thoughts were filled with Zabuza and Haku, the brave and tragic shinobi his team had fought during their mission in the Land of Waves. He shook his head as he rubbed his chin, feeling stubble through his mask; it was only the first day back from that mission and already, he was becoming troubled by it. However, he knew that time healed all troubles and that a distraction, such as training his team for the chunin exams would be a good one. He also knew that this nightmare only added to the laundry list of dreams that plagued him regularly.

_'If I am even going to enter them in the chunin exams…it'll depend on how they handle the next few weeks,' _the Copy Ninja thought to himself before sitting up in the bed and observing his room.

It was very simple, a quality that he liked: tan walls with dark green carpet. Even the furniture added to this simple quality. A desk to his left near a large window that opened directly to the sunrise that was surprisingly messy with folders and an unfinished mission report; a dresser stood near it, facing his bed from the opposite side of the room and a small table in the corner along that same wall. He stared at the contents of that table for several moments before shaking his head and rising, tossing the black sheets of his bed off of his warm body.

He promptly began his morning routine by showering then shaving, before dressing in his normal attire of dark pants, a dark shirt, his flak jacket, his headband over his eye, ninja sandals, wraps, and the typical mask; attire befitting any sane jonin, he thought, thinking of Gai. He returned to his room to straighten the sheets on his bed but, he paused in front of the small table in the corner of the room. He sighed as he stared at the pictures on it behind the incense sticks. He reserved the table as an in-home shrine to those he'd lost in his life, and it amazed him every time how many pictures he had:

His mother. His father. Obito. Minato. Rin. His five ANBU partners.

This last thought made him pause as he picked up a picture that was closest to the front. A young girl, who he remembered was sixteen at the time the picture was taken, was dressed in the standard ANBU attire with a tiger mask strapped to her hip. She was smiling brightly with short cut, pale purple hair and forest green eyes as she stood next to Kakashi, who remained straight faced while he held his dog mask in his hand.

_'She was the longest partner I ever had…for three years…before…' _He sighed and felt terrible that her picture still hung on the "Missing ANBU" wall; he presumed she was dead, and that made him feel worse:

_'I was a colder person back then for only being 19…Kami, I don't even remember her name…did it start with an "A"?'_

He returned the picture back to its original spot before checking the time. Realizing he was late for team training, he left his bed in its disheveled state and quickly left his apartment, skipping breakfast in the process.

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><p>The young ANBU man wearing a hawk mask smiled to himself. Although he disliked the idea that his first assignment as a newly appointed ANBU member was just border patrol, he didn't mind it so much. It was an easy mission and he didn't expect anything to happen. He did find it curious that the Hokage was so tense about the upcoming exams and was strengthening the perimeter of the village. He noticed that, based on the position of the sun, it was breakfast time and decided to take a small break.<p>

He sat on a tree branch near the road to the East Gate of the Village, about fifty yards up before pulling an apple out of his pouch. He slipped off his mask and began to eat quietly while observing his surroundings. The day was quite beautiful: warm, sunny, and a light breeze would blow through occasionally. Upon finishing the apple he tossed it aside the core and stood up, slipping his mask back on. Just before he continued his patrol, he stopped and stared at a figure that just topped the hill no more than forty yards from him.

Dropping into a crouch again behind a very leafy branch, he observed the approaching person. What first caught his eye was the ANBU uniform the person was wearing, although, he noticed, that style was circulated out recently in favor of a more streamlined, lighter design. This alerted him to the fact that this person was either a lost member or an imposter who would attempt to infiltrate their ranks. However, as the person in question drew closer, he saw that the uniform was in tatters, scars visible below every gash and some near fresh wounds beneath others. This attributed to her limping and unsteady gait. The young man also noticed the cracked tiger mask that hung about her waist. This fact, drew his attention to her face. Although smudged with dirt, he saw soft features and noticed green eyes that, he assumed, would have been bright and joyful under other circumstances. He then noticed waist length, lavender colored hair that, like her face, was dirty.

Finally, it dawned on him where he had seen this young woman before and, upon deeming her friend, not foe, leapt down in front of her to begin standard procedure.

"Halt! State your name and your business here!" The young man said with a firm grip on the katana that hung at his waist.

The woman remained silent, for only a single thought ran through her mind at that moment, _'Get to the Leaf….Get to Sarutobi-sama…'_

She attempted to walk around the man before her but, with a firm hand on her shoulder, he stopped her. Gazing into her eyes, the young man decided this was a matter for the Hokage.

"I believe I know who you are, however, I am forced to take you to see Sarutobi-sama. I can help you there," he stated and, when she didn't respond, he supported her and leapt towards the Hokage's office as fast as he could.

_'If I am correct, this woman has had her picture on the "Missing ANBU" wall for nearly four years…' _The man mentally commented as he picked up the pace, noticing her chakra take a slight dip.

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><p>Although it appeared to the outside observer that Kakashi was engrossed in his favorite orange book, his thoughts really circulated around his last ANBU partner. He thought it was very odd for him to be so distracted by his memories of her, when he had finally stopped thinking about her about a year ago. He looked up at his team and assessed their situation before standing up and approaching them, giving each instruction on how to better their attacks on the wooden logs in front of them.<p>

"Sakura, tighten your fists. It'll deliver a stronger blow and keep you from breaking your fingers and Naruto, a wider stance. Without a firm footing, you'll be knocked flat on your ass. And Sasuke….keep up the good work."

As he surveyed his students, he began reminiscing about the past.

_"Remember, a wide stance with a firm footing will help you become better at taijutsu," a young Kakashi told his purple-haired partner._

_ "I know, I know, but you're the taijutsu specialist anyway. I'm the long-range fighter. Why do I need to know this stuff?"_

_ The captain sighed, "Because, if you're ever in a situation where you have to fight up close, long range techniques will be useless. Now, attack me again!"_

_ "Get ready, Kakashi!"_

_ "You're going down, Ay-"_

"Hey! Sensei!"

Kakashi snapped out of his reverie and looked at his students before sighing as he pulled out some bandages from his pack and tossed them to Sakura. Somehow, Naruto managed to injure himself, then again, it was Naruto and a splinter-filled log. The leader of Team 7 sighed and stated:

"And with that, that's enough for today, guys. You're free to go."

An elated Naruto ran off to Ichiraku Ramen after being bandaged while Sakura headed off to rest. Sasuke continued training and Kakashi just shrugged, leaving his student to do what he wished. The gray-haired man disappeared in a poof, reappearing in front of the memorial stone, believing that maybe spending time there would relieve the thoughts going through his mind. However, only shortly after arriving, he sensed a chakra source approaching and turned his head in that direction; he was surprised to see Inoichi land a few feet from him.

"Kakashi. I'm sorry to interrupt you, however, Sarutobi-sama requests your presence."

The masked man quirked his eyebrow at Inoichi, "About?"

Inoichi replied, "I'm not sure. I wasn't fully informed of the details myself. However, it must be something serious if both of our presences are required, don't you think?"

The silver-haired man nodded in agreement before heading off to the Hokage's office with the blonde.

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><p>Sarutobi sighed as his calm words did nothing to bring the young woman out of her comatose-like state. It wasn't even nine a.m. and he already had a headache from the trouble all of this had caused. However, having a former ANBU member back was a relief instead of having her either dead or having people still trying to extract information from her.<p>

"Ibiki, are you sure there's nothing you can do for her?" Sarutobi questioned as he rose from a kneeling position in front of the young woman.

The scarred man standing a few feet behind the Hokage shook his head, "I'm sure Hokage-sama. Sending for Inoichi is the proper course to take. My specialty lies in extraction, which is not what is needed. He can repair the damage to her mind and see what was done to her in full."

Sarutobi nodded, "And do you believe that I should have sent for Kakashi as well?"

"Who knows. It could be a relief to see his teammate alive or a shock," Ibiki replied with a shrug.

The Hokage agreed before kneeling back down in front of the young girl, returning to his own attempts to draw her out of her state.

A small knock at the door interrupted his attempts before he stood and granted permission for the person to enter. He sighed with relief when Inoichi entered along with Kakashi. Ibiki and Sarutobi greeted the two before the former dismissed himself. Kakashi's eye widened as he started at the girl seated in front of Sarutobi and Inoichi. He completely zoned out from their conversation as a single thought crossed his mind:

_'Ayumi…'_


	2. A Mission Gone Wrong

Hello everyone! Here is chapter two! I hope you enjoy it as much as the first one and, don't forget, to leave a review! It's the only way I can get better! Also, a special thanks goes out to **Jennku** for being the first to review and leaving me such an awesome review! So, here it is and enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Kakashi stared silently at his former partner as Inoichi hovered a blue chakra covered hand over Ayumi's forehead, evaluating her current position and, possibly, what caused it.

"It seems, that whoever was holding her captive attempted to draw out information from her in a most inefficient and damaging way…that, coupled with the trauma of what seems to be her escape, led to this," Inoichi stated after several moments.

The copy-ninja spoke softly, "In our ANBU days, the village had us lock away any information concerning it, our mission, and previous missions in a 'mental vault' that was protected in a way that was unique to each person. For some, it was seated in their high chakra levels, others a powerful memory…"

Sarutobi looked at Kakashi, "I remember signing off on that plan, it was promising at the time," he turned to Inoichi, "Could you tell if she was forced to give up any information?"

The blonde stood, "She is very strong. She withstood all of the torture."

The Hokage sighed, "Finally, at least some good news. Did you see if a jutsu had been placed on her to have her spy on us and do you have any recommendations?"

Inoichi shook his head, "I found no such traces of any jutsu. As for my recommendations: hospitalization. She's obviously weak and, from there, I can begin healing the damage done by their torture techniques. She's fortunate to be from a village with specialists in the workings of the mind and mind jutsu."

Sarutobi nodded in agreement and before he could comment, he was interrupted by a dazed Kakashi, "Why has she returned Inoichi?"

The man shrugged slightly, "When…If…she returns to normal, you'll have to ask her for yourself. I couldn't find a reason aside from she saw an opportunity to escape and she took it."

Sarutobi alerted the hospital that Ayumi would need immediate attention and sent for a medical nin to escort her there. When the woman arrived, Kakashi and her helped Ayumi stand. However, the lavender haired kunoichi blacked out suddenly, falling against Kakashi. The medical corps woman did a quick evaluation and realized Ayumi still had several clotted wounds beneath her armor and major blood loss. Without time to lose, she and Kakashi rushed Ayumi to the hospital.

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><p>The purple haired woman sat up in her bed after waking a few hours earlier and stared blankly at the wall. The nurse had been kind enough to bathe her and dress her in typical hospital attire about an hour ago. An IV was attached to her arm to rehydrate her and give her much-needed nutrients until she was able to begin eating again. In a vein near the IV, a blood bag was attached to begin to replenish what she lost. A worried Kakashi sat in a chair beside her bed, he reached forward to touch her hand lightly before pulling back, thinking:<p>

_'Ayumi…this is all my fault…'_

The gray-haired man sat back with his elbows on his knees and hands before him and began speaking softly, "I'm sorry. If I hadn't allowed you to stay behind to fight our pursuers…if the ANBU team had been able to pick up on your captors trail…this would have been avoided…I shouldn't have left you behind…"

A frail hand shifted slightly and gripped his clasped hands weakly while a faint voice reached his ears, "I…told you…to…"

Before Kakashi could reply, a nurse entered and kindly asked him to leave so she could change the dressing on the wounds before Inoichi returned to begin to attempt to rehabilitate Ayumi's mind. The man nodded and apologized before standing up and leaving the room quietly, stunned and needing time to gather his thoughts and, since his stomach growled loudly, he decided that over a bowl of ramen would be the best place to do it.

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><p>He finished a bottle of sake at Ichiraku ramen while awaiting his order; while he thought it was never too early for a drink, he declined a second bottle, opting for water instead. He wasn't surprised to see Iruka and Naruto there and was even slightly amused as Naruto recounted their mission to the Land of Waves to Iruka despite the man's protests that he'd heard it a hundred times already. Finally, as Naruto received his ramen and began eating, Iruka turned to Kakashi:<p>

"So, the rumor is that Ayumi has returned."

Kakashi sighed, he did need someone to talk to after all, and "Yes… she's back… but not herself Iruka."

The younger man nodded, "So I've heard. Whatever those men were after, they were determined to get it but, I'm glad she's back. We were childhood friends, born a few months apart you know. She was like my best friend."

"She mentioned you a few times on missions."

"That's right! I almost forgot that you were her ANBU captain at one point. So… what happened… on that mission she didn't return from?"

Kakashi sighed and set his sake cup back down, beginning to recount the story.

_Two ANBU sat silently on a tree branch, hidden by the leaves surrounding them. Their mission was a fairly simple one: break in, retrieve a scroll, exit without notice. However, they were not informed of the high level of security that the building was under, including a ten-foot protection wall. Kakashi turned to Ayumi and made a few hand signals, informing her to stay close and follow him. She nodded and they silently leapt down into the bushes. When a set of guards passed them, they quickly dashed towards the wall and, after pushing chakra to their hands and feet, scaled the wall. _

_ They pressed their bodies against a nearby guard tower before leaping down into the courtyard below. After a silent landing, they ran to a nearby door and entered the building. Ayumi stepped forward and made a quick series of hand signs in an attempt to detect traps before using hand signals to state that she remembered the building layout and the scroll they needed should be in a room just ahead of them. While Kakashi led the way, Ayumi silently planted paper bombs at random, just incase they had to resort to such actions in order to escape._

_ Finally, after several moments of creeping around, Kakashi entered the room where the scroll was located while Ayumi kept watch. Suddenly, an alarm sounded. Ayumi turned and saw Kakashi dashing towards her with the scroll. She jumped back as she saw a set of prison bars lowering to seal off the room and seal any intruders inside. The tiger masked girl quickly flashed through a series of hand seals and created a column of earth that held the gate up, allowing Kakashi to slide under the groaning bars. Ayumi gripped his arm and jerked him up before the two began running towards the door in which they entered. Kakashi took care of any guards that began pursuing them while Ayumi flashed through hand seals before launching a boulder at the wall in order to destroy the sealed door before them. When the entered the courtyard, they both pushed chakra to their feet and leapt over the wall and into the trees while Ayumi set off the tags._

_The large explosion that they had rigged behind them detonated as the leapt through the trees. Ayumi smiled and cheered, beginning to celebrate early that they had succeeded on another retrieval mission while she glanced at the large black scroll in strapped to Kakashi's hip._

_ He told her not to count the proverbial chickens before they hatched and Ayumi just scoffed before suddenly stopping. She asked if she felt the multiple chakra signatures approaching fast and he confirmed it. Suddenly, they were ambushed and the loud clang of kunai and rumbling of earth style jutsu could be heard for miles around. _

_ Kakashi glanced to his right and saw Ayumi, severely beaten up, signal to him silently, "Get out of here! I can lead them away by letting them believe I have the scroll." _

_ Before he could respond, she took off back towards the burning building, proclaiming that she had what they were after, leading their attackers away._

"I returned to the village as quickly as I could to deliver the scroll and head back out with a retrieval team but, by the time we returned there, there was no sign of her… dead or alive…"

Iruka nodded silently, taking in the details of the story before looking at his friend and once mission leader when he was a young chunin, "You know Kakashi, I can tell this bothers you. You feel guilty, don't you?"

The older man chuckled softly, "Of course I do."

The younger didn't expect such a reaction, before sighing then replying, "Well, you could always aid her in any way possible. Watch over her while she's weak, help her eat, train her once she's able to again; basically, take care of her for a little while. It might ease your thoughts."

Kakashi contemplated this briefly before quickly eating his ramen and paying for it. He thanked Iruka for his advice before heading off to begin wondering how he would exactly go about doing such a thing.


	3. A Hospital Stay

****Merry (early) Christmas everyone! Or, Happy Holidays! Here is Chapter three and I hope you enjoy it! Also, don't forget to review, it helps me become better and reviews do make me smile. Additionally, I've been forgetting my disclaimer, so, I do no own Naruto, I wish I did...I'd be rich...

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

_'This…is the hospital….I'm home…thank Kami…' _ Ayumi thought to herself as she smiled slightly.

A soft knock drew her attention to the door and she blinked a bit as she saw a familiar-looking blonde man entered the room with a younger blonde girl following behind him. She noticed the family resemblance as they approached her bed and smiled slightly as she remembered:

"Hello…again, Inoichi."

The man smiled and sat down in a chair beside her with Ino sitting beside him, "Hello Ayumi. I'm glad to see you're doing better. I brought my daughter, Ino, with me today. She's still learning about all of the techniques our clan possesses. Do you mind if she observes today?"

Ayumi shook her head, "It's quite alright."

Inoichi smiled before hovering each of his hands on either side of Ayumi's head, "Now, yesterday, I restored some basic functions, like simple speech and movement. Today, however, I hope to fully restore your speech, thought processes, and movement. If all goes as well, only another session will be needed to strengthen your emotional stability and rid you of your minor amnesia."

Ayumi nodded before growing still and closing her eyes as Inoichi began the treatment. Since she had already allowed him to enter her mind twice before, her mind accepted this third entrance much more easily.

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><p><em>'These children will be the death of me….I just know it,'<em> Kakashi thought to himself as he wrapped a shallow cut on the palm of his hand he had procured when Naruto decided to throw a kunai at the very cat they were supposed to retrieve for the D-rank mission. He looked at his pink haired student sitting on the bench next to him outside of the Hokage's office and said:

"Thank you again, Sakura, for doing the paper work."

She smiled and replied, "It's nothing, sensei! Besides, you needed to bandage that cut of yours."

Kakashi chuckled, "Yes. A cut….a cut bestowed upon me graciously by our resident idiot."

Sakura chuckled and finished up the last of the paperwork while Kakashi stuffed the damaged glove in his pocket, before getting a new one from his pouch, and thanked Sakura, once more, for her work. She reaffirmed that it was nothing before handing him the scroll to turn in as she excused herself to head home and Kakashi frowned a bit as he noticed that Naruto and Sasuke had, at some point, left without permission. He shook his head before quickly heading into the Hokage's office and turned in the scroll. Deciding to visit Ayumi and bring her something to eat, Kakashi stopped by Ichiraku, picked up a chicken ramen to go and headed to the hospital.

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><p>"Now remember Ino, I'm not trying to suppress the memories, I'm merely helping to strengthen her mental resolve so that when it comes time for her to cope with what happened to her, she'll be able to do it more effectively and in a more healthy way," Inoichi stated as he finished up the treatment, "There you go, Ayumi. Now, I'd like to run through a few motor tests. Would you mind touching the tips of your fingers together for me?"<p>

Ayumi complied without any problems before moving on to other tests like holding her arms out to her side then touching her nose, rotating her wrists then ankles, standing up and touching her toes, etc. When she finished all of Inochi's requests, she returned to her bed and noticed a figure at the door.

Kakashi stood quietly, patiently waiting for Inoichi to finish up. He smiled softly as he noticed that Ayumi seemed more herself as she was laughing and actually talking. Seeing this, he did feel slightly better.

"Well Ayumi, I must say that you've responded very well, which allowed me to get a head start on tomorrow's treatment. However, another treatment will be necessary. Your mind is still very fragile, but don't worry, I can fix that and the amnesia. However, it will have to wait until tomorrow, " he stood, "Enjoy the rest of you day, Ayumi, and get some rest."

He turned, nodded to Kakashi and left the room with Ino in tow, answering the barrage of questions she began asking him as soon as they entered the hallway. The silver-haired man entered the room and sat down next to Ayumi. They stared at each other for a moment before Kakashi spoke:

"I brought you some chicken ramen. I thought you might like it better than the hospital food."

Ayumi smiled and took the bowl, "Thank you…. I know you… don't I?"

Kakashi laughed softly, "Yes, yes you do. Don't feel bad though."

The kunoichi frowned a bit, "I remember we were partners…I just can't remember your name…"

_'I may not remember his name…but I do know that it's __**him.**_'

The copy nin cleared his throat, "So, how do they say that you're doing?"

"Well, they told me that I could leave tomorrow, so, after Inoichi gives me that final treatment, I should be able to go…. But, I don't have anywhere to live… so I'll have to talk to Sarutobi-sama about that."

Kakashi smiled, "I can do that for you. It won't be any trouble at all."

Ayumi blushed lightly, "Thank you, thank you very much."

A nurse entered the room and gave Ayumi some medicine both in the IV drip and in the form of couple of pills. Ayumi ate quickly, commenting on how she believed chicken ramen was her favorite type of ramen, otherwise disliking the food in general. Kakashi chuckled and replied that it always was, causing her to blush a bit in embarrassment for having forgotten. After she placed the empty bowl on the table tray in front of her, Ayumi yawned.

Kakashi stood, cleaning up the trash and said, "I'll leave you to rest and I'll go to the Hokage straight way."

"Thank you, again," Ayumi replied before she lied down in her bed and drifted to sleep.

The silver-haired man smiled softly at her sleeping form before exiting the room quietly.

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><p>Sarutobi chuckled and blushed as he turned the page in the little orange book he held in his hands:<p>

_'Jiraiya…Jiraiya…I can't believe I didn't see how perverted you were.'_

A sharp knock on the door jostled the old Hokage out of his thoughts, causing him to hurriedly drop the book in an open drawer next to him and slam it shut before turning around and facing the door, with a cough, he said seriously:

"Come in."

Kakashi stepped into the room, slightly curious as to what the old man was doing before shaking it off and questioning:

"Hello Hokage-sama. I'm here on behalf of Ayumi Osoi. She should be leaving the hospital soon and asks where she will be staying."

The Hokage sighed, leaning back in his chair slightly, "Well, housing has become limited in the village as of late and the current apartment structures being built won't be finished for another month or so; I'm not quite sure."

"Well sir, would you object to letting her stay with me?"

Sarutobi quirked an eyebrow at this before replying, "It's your apartment and your landlord, Kakashi-san. I couldn't care less; however, it would be a brilliant solution to the problem."

_'This way, I can pay my debt like Iruka said…and it would be like old times, during our ANBU days.' _

"Now, Kakashi, you remember where the storage unit for the items of missing shinobi is, correct? It's all alphabetized anyway. You'll have no trouble finding her belongings," the Hokage stated as he straightened some papers on his desk, "Oh, by the way, take her picture off of that ANBU board, will you? Before you leave?"

Kakashi nodded and thanked the Hokage for his time before leaving the room, giving a relieved Sarutobi a chance to return to his literature. Kakashi walked down the hallway a little ways before stopping at the Missing ANBU board. He quickly scanned the dozen or so photos before stopping on Ayumi's and taking it off the wall.

_ 'Welcome home, Ayumi.'_

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><p>He returned to his apartment with the two fairly large boxes and shuffled his way to an empty room he had. He cleaned up the stray pieces of useless items the room held and placed the two boxes near the door. He went to a hall closet and pulled out an air mattress. After it was set up and the bed was made, he sighed and went to shower. Upon finishing the relaxing bath, he began to make his way to the bed before stopping at looking at the picture-frame covered table from before. He strolled over to it and picked up the photo of him and Ayumi he had looked a couple of days ago, and every day since, and smiled:<p>

_'Just like old times when we lived together to bond to be a more efficient team,' _Kakashi shook his head, _'Get it together, it'll only be until she gets better.'_

Keeping the photo in his hand, he walked over to the small desk beside his bed and placed it next to the picture of his current team while whispering:

"I didn't lose you after all."


	4. Returning Home

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! Feeling so heavily in the Christmas Spirit, I decided to post another chapter today! Once again, thank you Jenku for leaving me such a wonderful review. Reviews make me smile, so, keep them coming and, everyone else, please, tell me what you think! Additionally, I do not own Naruto or it's characters, I only own those of my own creation. So please, enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Inoichi sighed a bit as he lowered his hands before smiling, "How do you feel, Ayumi?"

The young woman smiled in return, "I feel much better, Inoichi, thank you."

The mind jutsu user stood, "Good, that's very good. I apologize again for making you take a third treatment, but as I said before, it'll make coping with what happened a much easier process and you should remember everything now."

"It's quite alright," Ayumi replied while nodding slightly, "I know last night I had a nightmare and when I woke up, I wasn't sure if I could handle being in this room, but I finally calmed down with the nurse's help."

Inoichi nodded, "Hopefully, if you have any more nightmares, you won't wake so startled and on the verge of breaking down."

Ayumi laughed softly, "Yes, let's hope not."

The man nodded, "You have a nice day, Ayumi. See you around the village. Oh, and welcome back." He smiled and left the room.

The kunoichi smiled and leaned back against her pillows and gazed out the nearby window, _'I can't believe I forgot Kakashi's name! I'm so silly, but I'll apologize when I see him again…I can't wait to see him again.'_

She heard a knock at the door before turning her head in that direction. She greeted the doctor and smiled when he informed her that they were releasing her early.

"Unfortunately, your ANBU clothes aren't in any shape for you to wear out of here, so we'll provide you with some simple attire until you retrieve your belongings. Additionally, try to get plenty of rest, drink more than the necessary amount of water daily, and take some vitamin supplements for at least another week or so. Oh, and don't over exert yourself in training. Now, do you have any questions?"

Ayumi nodded, "Yes, I do. Can I have my ANBU mask back?"

The doctor nodded, "Of course. I'll have the nurse bring it when she brings you some clothing."

With that, the doctor left. Ayumi stood and walked to the window, smiling that she was finally going to be able to walk around her old home. A nurse entered after a prompt knock, she turned and thanked her before dressing in the gray sweatpants and sweatshirt the hospital provided her. While dressing, however, she couldn't help but notice that in addition to a swirled scar on her face by her right eye that was around two inches in length, it seemed that her captors decided to scar her back, legs, and arms with deep cuts. However, she was thankful that the hospital seemed to have medical ninjas reduce the irritated, puffy look of some of the worse scars so that now they all appeared to be white lines that would hopefully fade in time. After she dressed, she borrowed a hair tie from the nurse and pulled her hair into a messy bun before picking up her ANBU mask and sighing at its condition. The nurse asked if she was ready to leave and Ayumi nodded. The older woman escorted her to the exit before leaving her to return to her duties.

Ayumi sighed and smiled as she stepped outside. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking around. The day couldn't be anymore beautiful with a clear blue sky and a bright shining sun. Deciding to enjoy some time to herself and not really knowing where to go, she spotted a large tree nearby and, after walking over to it, promptly sat beneath it. As a cool breeze blew through, she leaned back, closed her eyes, and relaxed.

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><p>Around lunch, Kakashi found himself walking in the direction of the hospital. He was rehearsing mentally what he would say to Ayumi if she didn't remember him and how he would explain the Hokage giving his permission for her to live with him. However, he continued to hope that whatever Inoichi was doing would help her regain her memories in full so his task wouldn't be so arduous.<p>

As he turned down the street the entrance to the hospital is located on, he noticed someone sitting beneath a nearby tree and smiled to himself:

_'She always did enjoy nature.'_

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><p>Ayumi's forest green eyes opened quickly. She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting beneath the tree, but based on the position of the sun and the temperature, she assumed a few hours. However, this didn't cause her to draw out of her thoughts, she had sensed a very familiar chakra source approaching and when she looked to her left, she saw him. She stood quickly and smiled as she jogged up to him.<p>

"Kakashi!"

She hit him hard as she hugged him and laughed as he hugged her back ever-so-slightly before releasing him:

"I'm so sorry that I couldn't remember your name! I feel like such an idiot!"

The man laughed, "Don't worry about it, Ayumi. After all, you were in such a terrible condition."

Ayumi concurred, "You can say that again."

"So, they released you out of the hospital early?"

"If you call a few hours early," Ayumi scoffed.

Kakashi nodded, "Well, I'm sure you'd like to get out of _that._ Your stuff is at my place."

Ayumi quirked an eyebrow, "Has it stayed there after all these years?"

The copy nin chuckled, "Of course not. Sarutobi thought it would be best to have you move back in with me while you were still recovering."

"Oh Kakashi, I couldn't. I'd be imposing."

The man shook his head, "You would not. Besides, it would be just like old times but, just for a week or two instead."

Ayumi laughed, "Well, if it is just for a little while. And yes, I would like to get out of this."

With that, the two began heading towards Kakashi's apartment.

* * *

><p>Kakashi sighed and relaxed on his couch as he turned another page in his little orange book. It had been awhile since he had seen Ayumi. The last time he saw her, she was taking her clothes out of the dryer and heading to her room. However, the sounds of a hair dryer informed him of her location. He was so consumed by his novel that he didn't hear her enter the room.<p>

"Really Kakashi? That's how you occupy your time nowadays?"

He looked up and shrugged, "Just something when I'm bored."

Ayumi rolled her eyes, "Sure. I bet not. Now, do you think this is appropriate ninja attire? Or do they still require the standard uniform like way back when?"

Kakashi chuckled, "No, they allow people to get creative now."

Ayumi smiled, "Good."

She particularly enjoyed her clothing. The sweat suit provided by the hospital had been replaced by a pair of dark purple shorts with a cream colored, sleeveless turtleneck on top. Over that, she wore a dark green, kimono-style shirt that stopped at her hips. The sleeves were a dark purple color and fitted to her arms. A dark purple, three-inch thick obi was tied around her waist to hold the shirt closed. Her shuriken pouch was strapped to her right thigh over bandages and her scroll pouch was on her left hip on the back. She wore armored mesh underneath it all, although it was only visible on her calves as the rest was covered.

Kakashi placed his book on the coffee table, stood, and approached her, "You still have to wear the armor on your left arm?" He questioned while inspecting it.

Ayumi nodded sadly, "Unfortunately, yes. It's my weak arm, I'll foresee myself as always needing to wear it."

Her left arm, from the shoulder to the fingertips, was covered in a lavender-colored, metallic armor that added strength to it. To balance out this appearance, she wore matching lavender armor on her right arm. Additionally, a dark purple tinted steel covered her shins and stopped before it reached her dark green ninja shoes. She mentally commented on how thankful she was that her clothing covered her scars.

"I believe I bought this outfit before our last mission, in hopes that it would go so well that I could retire from ANBU and wait for the day to wear this as my shinobi uniform."

Kakashi smiled a bit, "Well, you can wear it now. Oh, I almost forgot," he reached into his and pulled out a new leaf headband on a dark green sash, "I picked this up the other day in the mission office."

Ayumi thanked him before moving to a hall mirror and began positioning it over her face.

Kakashi blinked at this action and moved to her, "What are you doing?"

The young woman blushed and looked at him, "I'm trying to hide this scar."

The copy nin looked at her right eye and shook his head, "It's unique. Wear it proudly."

Ayumi laughed, "You have the unique part right: a swirled scar? It's a sign of being captured and tortured by sadistic men who liked to create patterns with kunai."

The man stepped forward and spoke softly, "But being alive proves that you were strong enough to survive."

The kunoichi blinked, "I didn't think about it that way. Alright Kakashi, if you say so."

She tied and secured her headband to her left thigh before straightening back up.

"There you go. Now, it's only three o'clock. Is there anything you'd like to do?"

Ayumi smirked, "I'd like to challenge you to some friendly sparring."

"I'm sure the doctor wouldn't approve."

"Oh Kakashi, did you already forget that I rarely listen to anyone? I won't take no for an answer."

Kakashi just laughed softly, "Alright, if you insist, but just know, I am stronger than I was those years ago."

* * *

><p>I just realized how ironic it was for Kakashi to tell Ayumi to wear her scar proudly considering he hides his. Yes, he also does it to conceal the Sharingan so it doesn't drain his chakra, but still, hiding a scar, irony! Remember, review please! And, don't worry, the story will still have it's usual update on Wednesday and Saturday. Until next time! ~(^-^~)<p> 


	5. A Spar

Hello everyone! Sorry this is so late! Here is chapter five! I hope you enjoy it. Please review! It always makes me smile when I see them, plus, how am I supposed to get better without them? Remember, I do not own Naruto, I just own Ayumi.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

Ayumi landed in a crouch, a small dust cloud kicking up around her. She panted heavily as she stared across the training ground at Kakashi:

_'He's right. He's gotten much stronger. I used to be able to keep up with him and I'm already out of breath…then again, I haven't been able to train in years.'_

Kakashi began running towards her and Ayumi's eyes widened, she flashed through a set of hand seals before shouting:

"Earth Style: Boulder Manipulation!"

She thrust her arms out to the sides, earth quickly collected around the steel on her hands before she punched the ground hard, creating a small crater on either side of her. Ayumi looked up and mentally smacked herself as the medium side boulders that rose up out of the ground near Kakashi in an attempt to smash him in between them merely collided with a shadow clone. As she stood, she felt a kunai pressed to the side of her neck as Kakashi's voice reached her ears:

"You panicked and couldn't see it was a shadow clone. Additionally, I copied that jutsu years ago and I feel the urge to remind you that I have an affinity for lightning. Now," he put the kunai away and let Ayumi face him as he pulled his headband back over his sharingan, "it wasn't so bad for your first spar since you've returned, but if I'm to help you, we've got a lot of work to do."

Ayumi rolled her eyes, "Don't give me that 'sensei' crap, Kakashi. I'm not as bad off as you make me sound. I'm just rusty, that's all."

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, "If you say so, but it'll still require some work on both of our parts." _'She needs to work on her taijutsu like I told her all those years ago, but I did miss sparring with her. She always gave me a good work out.'_

Ayumi opened her mouth to give a smart remark before her stomach rumbled loudly, causing her to blush heavily.

"Would you like to get something to eat, Ayumi?" Kakashi questioned.

The kunoichi nodded before the two began walking away from the training grounds, Kakashi in the lead.

* * *

><p>Ayumi and Kakashi smiled and thanked their waiter as he brought out their food: two bowls of miso soup, one with eggplant, and two plates of Korean barbeque with fried rice. Ayumi began eating before looking up and blinking as Kakashi's plates were clean.<p>

"How did….never mind. Anyway, I realized today during training that I really need to work on my taijutsu," Ayumi stated as she finished her miso soup.

Kakashi nodded, "Don't worry, Ayumi. I'll help you get back to your prime and then some; and, see? Taijutsu does come in handy."

"Oh ha ha. Like I said all those years ago, that was your specialty, but, since I'll be on my own now, I do need to develop that skill," Ayumi took a small sip of sake before looking up at Kakashi, "Anyway, what have you been up to?"

"If you can believe it, I have a genin team."

Ayumi nearly choked on the rice in her mouth. She coughed for a few moments before replying, "Y-You're teaching?"

Kakashi chuckled, "Yes. Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki."

Ayumi quirked an eyebrow, "You pulled some strings for the Uchiha boy and Naruto because of the Fourth, didn't you?"

The silver-haired man nodded, "Yes, I did."

"So, how is that working out for you?" Ayumi asked as she finished her plate of rice and barbeque.

Kakashi sighed, "They're slowly killing me, Ayumi. It's quite ironic that they remind me so much of my team."

Ayumi chuckled and smiled, "I know the great Copy Ninja won't be taken down so easily though."

The man sitting across from her smiled before sighing, "By the way, I… I want to formally apologize for letting you be captured."

The purple-haired shinobi sighed, "Oh Kakashi…not this again… I told you to finish the mission. I deliberately distracted them so you could get away. The village needed that scroll after all."

He shook his head, "That's no excuse to lose a teammate though. Tell me, what did they do to you?"

_Ayumi landed back in the courtyard of the burning building. She hoped to distract them further with more explosions and then slip away before reuniting with Kakashi. However, as she attempted to re-enter the building to set up then off more explosions, she felt a large, earthen hand wrap around her legs. She turned her upper body and glared at a smirking shinobi. She flashed through hand signs and punched the fist with her earth encrusted, armored arm, shattering it to pieces._

_ She landed on the ground in a crouched position, muttering, "They have shinobi…the village missed that in the briefing."_

_ Suddenly, several guards and ninja were attacking at once, she grew nervous, taijutsu wasn't her specialty. She utilized her earthen wall technique to render several unconscious but she frowned when a lightning chakra user quickly countered her attacks. The man charged her and prepared for a frontal attack, but she cried out when she felt lightning chakra course through her body, she forcefully turned her head and looked behind her, seeing an older woman shooting a massive lightning bolt into her back; she knew it would scar. When the jutsu ended, Ayumi collapsed forward, unconscious._

_ Hours turned to days. Days turned to weeks. Weeks turned to years as her captors began getting more creative with their extraction methods. What started out as simple interrogation turned into carving symbols on her body to inflict the most pain possible, dunking her head in water until she almost drowned, Chinese water torture, or even dislocating a few joints every now and then. Many a night there was that she went without food or water. _

_ On one fateful day, their location was attacked by ninja from Kumo, as the guards left her cell, Ayumi amassed what chakra she could with what little strength she had left and broke free from her imprisonment by sending a large boulder flying through the metal bars; she eluded most guards and shinobi, having to engage a few, and finally escaped. As she began heading back to Konoha, she stopped at a river and cried for hours, finally having a mental breakdown from years of abuse and solitary confinement. _

"At that moment, I entered the 'walking coma' state. I remember crying and the next thing I knew, I was being escorted to the Hokage's office," Ayumi said, finishing her story.

She blinked as she reached up and wiped her eyes, unaware that she had begun crying. Kakashi sighed before speaking:

"Ayumi…You know I never meant for that to happen. I returned with a search team and we couldn't find you."

She shook her head, "I understood the risk when I turned back, Kakashi. I just haven't had a chance to cope fully with it yet, but it eases my mind knowing that you tried to rescue me."

She covered her eyes with one hand and took a shuddering breath before blinking as she felt Kakashi cover her free hand with his. She looked up at him and blushed lightly before removing her hand and wiping her eyes.

"There, see? All better," she forced a small smile.

Once Kakashi had paid for their meal, they left the restaurant and walked quietly down the street towards the apartment, a slightly awkward silence filling the air.

"I'm sorry I ruined our dinner."

Ayumi laughed and lightly punched his upper arm, "I'm used to it by now from you, Kakashi."

"Hey," Kakashi replied, faking being offended.

"I'm kidding! Besides, I needed to talk about it. Bottling up things never helps someone heal."

Kakashi looked at Ayumi and smiled, _'Iruka was right. Helping her eases my mind...both of the guilt I feel towards her….and my past.' _"Ayumi, would you mind if we made a stop on the way home?"

She looked at him and shook her head, "No, not at all. Although, I don't know where you want to go at this hour of the night."

* * *

><p>Kakashi stared silently at the memorial stone with Ayumi next to him. She sighed and knelt in front of it, gazing at the middle section.<p>

"Is it still surreal to you as well, Kakashi? To see the names of people you know?" Ayumi questioned as she touched the names of her mother, father and brother.

"Yes, yes it is," he replied with a single nod.

"I lost them…one after the other you know…my mother in an explosion in a medical core tent…. My father…in battle against Iwa ninja….and my brother…during the Nine-tails attack…"

Kakashi looked down as he heard Ayumi sniffle slightly, "Ayumi?"

"I-I'm the only one left of them," she replied as she wiped away tears.

The copy nin sighed, "We both are…"

She nodded while trying to prevent herself from crying further.

After regaining her composure, Ayumi stood up and a wave of dizziness washed over her, she stumbled slightly before regaining her footing with the help of Kakashi supporting her right arm, "Thanks. It looks I did do too much today."

Kakashi chuckled slightly, supporting her as they began walking home, "I tried to warn you, but let's go home."


	6. The Consequences of a Sacrifice

Hello everyone! Here is the latest chapter! I hope you enjoy it!  
>On a side note, this chapter does contain a dream sequence that I divided up, so I hope it's not too confusing to follow and there is a time skip after the dream sequence, just a heads up.<br>Also, thank you Jennku for reviewing! They make me smile! So, other readers out there, please, reviews make me smile! Additionally, Jennku, there are more fight scenes to be seen with Ayumi, we haven't seen all of her abilities yet. Just keep in mind that Earth is her affinity so she relies on earth jutsu heavily since it's more natural for her, but she may know a few jutsus of another element. We shall have to see!  
>So, here is chapter six, please enjoy! And remember, I do not own Naruto, only Ayumi.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Why does it always seem to be that nightmares find you at your weakest hour? Why are they always filled with the very thoughts you are trying to repress? Why can you never out run your enemies or defeat attackers?

* * *

><p><em>The ground beneath her feet felt like quick sand or very thick mud and she was knee deep in it. She panted heavily and hard as she tried to reach some safe area but when she looked behind her shoulder, all she saw was those horrible men that held her captive advancing. Their eyes held malicious intent and the daggers in their hands gleamed menacingly. She cried out for help and in fear as tears fell from her eyes while she desperately tired to run faster.<em>

* * *

><p>Kakashi's normal eye flew open as he stared at the ceiling. He knew it had to be early in the morning because the sun wasn't up and a glance at the nearby alarm clock (which was seldom used) confirmed that it was the ungodly hour of 4:17 AM. He wondered what had awoken him before he heard a strangled groan and a series of hard sobs, knowing now that it was yet another nightmare. Quickly, he climbed out of bed and entered the hallway, following the sounds to Ayumi's room. He peeked in her room and saw a sight that nearly broke his heart.<p>

Ayumi, still in the throes of her dream, lied curled into a ball on her bed, sobbing while grumbling and moaning about someone helping her and saving her. Occasionally a hard shiver would course through her for her blankets were strewn to the side of her bed.

The Copy Nin silently entered the room and knelt beside her. He looked her over, wondering for a moment what to do before he noticed all the scars her body now possessed. He sighed and reached out, covering her up first before taking her free hand, for her other was clenching a pillow, gently in his and whispered:

"You're safe now, Ayumi. There's no need to be frightened…I'm here."

He smiled softly as her body relaxed and her cries stopped. He remained in her room for several minutes before quietly slipping out and stepping back into his room. As he did, he looked at the memorial table, thinking:

_'I cared for her once….and lost her….I cared for them all…and lost them….I can't let that happened to her twice….I don't deserve happiness….She needs to leave…before she becomes cursed again….'_

With a deep sigh, he climbed back into his bed and tried to fall back into a sleep that was troubled in its own right.

* * *

><p><em>She smiled happily as she rested in his arms. Her pursuers had been taken care of by him and she was now safe.<em>

_ "You're safe now, Ayumi. There's no need to be frightened. I'm here."_

_ "Thank you…Kakashi."_

* * *

><p>Ayumi's eyes fluttered open as the sunlight shone through her window. She rose up in her bed and rubbed her eyes before yawning while stretching her arms above her head, well rested after a nightmare-free night. After getting out of bed and promptly making it, she got dressed and began braiding her hair while thinking:<p>

_'I should probably move out soon. It's been a couple of weeks and Kakashi is starting to act strange. He's been avoiding me the last few days.'_

She shrugged and walked out of her room, blinking when Kakashi brushed past her and left. She noticed a note on the kitchen table. Picking it up, she began reading it quietly:

_Ayumi, I'm late for training with my team. I'm entering them in the Chunin exams so I'll be at the training grounds most of the day. See you tonight. –Kakashi_

Sighing, Ayumi quickly ate a banana and drank a glass of orange juice before exiting the apartment to find her old friends.

* * *

><p>Ayumi smirked as she saw two of her old classmates ahead of her. She quietly weaved in and out of people in the street before walking up behind them and tapping them simultaneously:<p>

"Letting people sneak up on you, Asuma and Kurenai? Tsk tsk."

The pair turned, curious as to who bothered them before they both smiled, "Ayumi!"

Kurenai hugged her then Asuma fist bumped her. He spoke first:

"I heard you were back. Nice to finally see you, pip-squeak."

"How have you been, Ayumi?"

"I'm doing well, Kurenai," she replied, smiling before glaring at Asuma, "I told you I hated that name. I'm only four years younger than either of you!"

The smoker laughed, "I call you it _because_ you hate it. When will you ever learn?"

Kurenai shoved Asuma gently, "Be nice to her. You know she had to enter the Academy early. She had no one to take care of her since her brother was always busy with missions."

The man rolled his eyes, "Fine _**dear. **_I won't fight both of you at the same time."

The red-eyed woman blushed furiously, "Asuma!"

"Ahh, so you two…finally…" She smirked.

Asuma grinned and nodded, which caused Kurenai to blush even more.

"Good. I always thought you two would be cute together."

The man chuckled, "I'll note that. Anyway, where have you been staying?"

"Oh, with Kakashi on Sarutobi-sama's orders until I become stronger. But, anyway, what are you two up to? Kurenai, did you ever become a jonin?"

Kurenai nodded, "Yes, I did. A couple years back actually and we both have genin teams now."

"Dear Kami! What is with everyone teaching now a days! First Iruka, then Kakashi, now you two! Next you'll be telling me that that little weird dude, Gai, has genin."

Asuma sighed, "Well…actually."

"Oh Kami, help us all," Ayumi stated as they walked down the street.

* * *

><p>The three of them leisurely strolled out of Konoha's market district and towards the two's training grounds. Kurenai and Asuma told her about their teams and that they would be entering them in the chunin exams as well. When they finally arrived at the training grounds, Ayumi excused herself to let them begin training their respective teams, noting how good it was to catch up with them both. She decided that she needed to visit Iruka and headed in the direction of the academy.<p>

* * *

><p>"Alright class. So, just remember, without chakra control, ninjutsu use can become a dangerous thing to attempt for you can use too much chakra for a simple jutsu and possibly die. Your homework is to practice chakra control tonight, we'll be having a test over it tomorrow. Class dismissed," Iruka stated before beginning to organize the papers on his desk.<p>

Ayumi smiled as the genin filed out of the room before taking off in various directions. She entered the room and smiled:

"You know, Iruka, I was surprised when I heard you were teaching at the academy, but you do it very well. The perfect job for you."

The chunin looked up and grinned, "Ayumi! How good to see you," he stated before walking over and hugging her, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," she replied while releasing him, "Do you have time for lunch?"

Iruka put the papers away in his desk before nodding, "Of course, they were my last class for today. Ichiraku's?"

Ayumi smiled, "Sure."

* * *

><p>After receiving their order, Ayumi and Iruka began eating with random bits of conversation here and there, mostly concerning what Iruka had been up to. Finally, Iruka questioned:<p>

"So, how's living with Kakashi?"

Ayumi rolled her eyes a bit, "Just fine. He's been avoiding me lately though… I need to ask him what's wrong. Although, I'll probably move out soon, I feel like I'm overstaying my welcome, but it does remind me of when we were in ANBU together."

Iruka nodded, "That must be nice then. I remember Kakashi did seem a bit happier during his ANBU time with you. He really loved ANBU work; I was so shocked when he quit after the mission when you were captured."

Ayumi was stunned, "Quit? But he loved… I don't….Why?"

Iruka shrugged, "I don't know. He won't talk about it."

Ayumi blinked before standing, "Iruka, do you mind if I leave?"

The chunin smiled, "Of course not. It's been great catching up with you."

She smiled and nodded, "And you, Iruka. We'll have to hang out again soon. See ya!"

"Ayumi! Wait! I forgot to ask, "Iruka jumped up, causing Ayumi to spin around and blink.

"Yes?"

"Do you still like him?"

Ayumi blushed furiously and laughed before just turning quickly and heading towards the training grounds where Kakashi's team usually met.

* * *

><p>"Naruto, how many times do I have to tell you, you can always be straightforward with an attack? In a real situation, you could get die and apparently, in practice it gets you injured," Kakashi stated as he observed Sakura bandaging a long cut on Naruto's arm.<p>

"Eh! It'll be alright Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto aloofly replied.

The older man shook his head, "With that we'll end training, but you have to be more careful Naruto."

Kakashi felt Ayumi's chakra approaching and turned as she landed. He watched her as she approached, greeting everyone and earning two of three actual replies back; Sasuke just looked at her before walking off. After a few moments of Naruto expressing his excitement to Ayumi, he left with Sakura not too far behind. Once they were alone, Kakashi looked at her and questioned:

"Why are you here, Ayumi?"

She smirked, "Am I not allowed to visit my roomie as he trains his students?"

He didn't respond, prompting her to sigh and add, "I had lunch with Iruka. He told me you quit ANBU after the mission where I was lost. Why, Kakashi?"

Unfazed, he replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

In frustration, Ayumi nearly shouted, "Stop it, Kakashi! I trust Iruka to tell me the truth, now it's time for you to do the same. Don't lie to me either, I'm already frustrated with you."

Kakashi looked up at the sky and took a deep breath and sighed, "I felt responsible… I lost someone close to me, again… like everyone in my life thus far. I didn't feel worthy to lead and protect others if I was so weak… I wanted…needed to become stronger so that I wouldn't lose anyone again."

Ayumi looked down and thought, _'Maybe….maybe what I did wasn't a good thing after all.'_ She looked back up at Kakashi and, before she could speak, he interrupted her:

"It might be best for you to move out soon, Ayumi. Before I curse you as well."

"That's ridiculous, Kakashi. You're not cursed. Bad things happen."

"Ayumi, please."

She blinked, masking her hurt, "Alright Kakashi. If it means that much to you, I'll start looking for apartments."

He smiled a bit, "Thank you."

With a nod, she replied, "You're welcome. Now, before I do move out, how about I cook us some dinner, hm?"

Kakashi smirked, "You were a good cook….oh, why not?"


	7. A Second Fresh Start

Happy New Year everyone! In light of such a glorious day, I have decided to update my story! To aniwolfgirl, I'm so glad that you enjoy the story so far. One of my biggest goals now that I am a more proficient writer is to write in a similar fashion that you'd find in a book, so that the story is as detailed as it can be (without being overbearing) and as good as it can possibly be. I, also, have tried to make the characters as in-character as possible because nothing bugs me more when a character isn't in-character. So, I hope that continues throughout my story, I've done my best to see it happen. Anyway, on with Chapter 7! Remember, I do not own Naruto, only Ayumi.

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

Ayumi smiled softly to herself as she looked around her apartment. After looking around the village for the "finishing touches" of art work, vases, some furniture pieces, etc., she finally felt that her own apartment was home. Well, it was homier, but she couldn't help denying the fact that she did miss Kakashi's presence.

_'Oh well. He was starting to push me away. I was alone most of the time anyways. You would think after a week on my own I would be adjusted by now…'_

She sighed, trying to ignore the fact that her apartment was really only a few blocks away from Kakashi's, while heading to the kitchen to fix herself some lunch, contemplating what to do for the rest of the day. As she stared into the refrigerator, mentally cursing herself for not getting groceries, she heard a knock on the door. Shrugging, she headed to the door and opened it, smiling at the person behind it.

"Iruka! How good to see you!"

They shared a small embrace before the young man entered the apartment.

"Hello Ayumi, how are you?"

"Eh, I'm doing alright I guess. Adjusting for the most part, but I really need something to occupy my time other than training. I hope the Hokage will send me on a few missions soon. It'll be good to return to active duty," she replied with a small shrug, "So, what brings you by Iruka?"

The chunin smiled, "Well, I spoke with the Hokage recently and he would like for me to offer you a job at the Academy. It'll be temporary for once you have regained your strength and he deems you ready to begin taking missions again, you'll return to the shinobi force."

Ayumi's smile and mood dropped, "At the Academy? But….I…," she sighed, "What would I be doing?"

"You'll be teaching preschoolers," Iruka flatly replied, already expecting an outburst.

Her eye twitched slightly, "P-Preschoolers? Iruka…I can't….I cannot teach. Children, especially young ones, are wild and uncontrollable and they always seem to be sticky! Please. Please tell me there is another option?"

The man smirked, "I knew you'd ask. So, the Hokage would like for me to inform you that you can always take on a genin team."

The kunoichi stared wide-eyed at Iruka, "Either I deal with sticky children or smart mouthed little idiots….," she sighed in defeat, "Well….the genin team would be more permanent and I'd rather do missions alone….I'll teach the preschoolers."

Iruka smiled, "Don't worry, Ayumi. It's not that bad. You'll mostly just make sure that they don't hurt themselves."

"Ahh, babysitting, perfect."

"It pays well. 775 ryo (10 dollars) an hour," Iruka replied calmly.

Ayumi blinked, "That's very good babysitting pay, but you don't have to persuade me more, I've already accepted it. When do I start?"

Iruka smirked, "Well, the afternoon preschool class comes in at 12:30. So, today."

Glaring at the man, she slipped on her shinobi sandals, tied on her headband and headed with him to the Academy, praying things would go well.

* * *

><p>Kakashi sighed as he stood before his little band of idiots. It made him cringe slightly that he referred to him as <em><strong>his <strong>_idiots, but he did have a soft spot for them. He surveyed their expressions, noticing Naruto's eagerness, Sakura's attentiveness, and Sasuke's annoyance. After a few moments, he finally spoke:

"So, I'm sure you've been wondering as to why I've called so many training sessions lately. Well, here it is. I've entered you three in the chunin exams."

Naruto's eyes widened before he cheered, "Woo hoo! Alright, sensei!"

"Can it."

The blonde blinked before promptly shutting up at his sensei's orders.

"Now, I've created a training scroll for each of you. Read it. Learn it. Master it. I don't want you guys dying during this ordeal," the man replied while handing out the scrolls.

He found it interesting that their expressions changed: Sakura seemed more nervous; Naruto was definitely upset at having to do work; while Sasuke, well, Sasuke was indifferent as expected. Kakashi sent them on their way to train before he found a spot beneath a large tree that provided an ample amount of shade to rest beneath and relax while reading his Icha Icha book.

However, as he read, he found that his mind had drifted to Ayumi. He would vehemently deny to anyone who questioned if he missed her since he moved out, but he secretly did. Her presence eased his mind and he almost regretted having her leave. Kakashi found that having her move out caused him to think about her more and, realizing he hadn't visited her since she moved out, decided to do just that. He glanced up at his team, smiling as he saw that they were working very hard for the exams next week and slipped away without notice.

* * *

><p>"O-Osoi-sensei? A-Am I going to d-die?" The small brown-haired boy asked while sniffling.<p>

Ayumi chuckled as she cleaned the small cut on his leg gently, "Of course not, Somatsu-kun. I'll have you all fixed up so you can go back to playing with Takahiro and Jun. However, you have to promise me you'll be more careful, alright?"

As she place a folded over piece of gauze on the wound, the child nodded, "I'll try for pretty Osoi-sensei!"

She laughed softly and blushed lightly as she began wrapping the cut, "Well, thank you very much, Somatsu-kun."

Kakashi landed on a tree branch nearby after hearing Ayumi was now teaching, he made a note to tease her thoroughly about that later, and watched the scene before him, smiling softly, _'She was always so kind to children, despite her dislike for teaching.'_

After tying off the wrappings, she looked at him and questioned, "All better?"

The boy looked at her, "Well…almost…"

Ayumi tilted her head a bit and asked, "Is there anything I can do, Somatsu-kun?"

Somatsu blushed, "C-Could you kiss it? That would make it better."

The lavender haired kunoichi laughed softly before kissing the wound gently then beginning to tickling him, "There! Now, get back to your friends!"

Little Somatsu ran off laughing while Ayumi stood and chuckled softly, acknowledging that he was a cute little boy, despite spilling glue constantly. She observed the children for a few moments before realizing that Kakashi was nearby. Turning in his direction, she stated:

"Come on out, Kakashi. I won't bite."

The masked man smiled and jumped down beside her, "Oh, Ayumi. Do you realize how adorable that was? And teaching! What a thought!"

Picking up the mocking tone, she glared at him slightly, "Ha ha. Laugh it up all you want, soon, I'll be getting missions again."

Nodding, the man observed the children at play, watching parents occasionally arriving to pick up their children for the day. He then glanced at Ayumi and noticed a small smile on her face and felt himself smile as well, knowing that she was healing.

Feeling someone staring at her, she looked at Kakashi and blinked, "What? Do I have glitter on my face or something in my teeth?"

The copy nin chuckled, "No, no. I was….I was just wondering if you'd like to train when the children have been picked up by their parents."

Ayumi smiled, "I'd like that very much."

* * *

><p>Kakashi panted softly as he pressed himself against a tree, listening intently to the sound of approaching footsteps. What started out as a simple training session turned into a full-out spar and had somehow shifted from the training grounds to the forest nearby.<p>

_'Has she been training on her own? She's gotten much better.'_

The footsteps grew silent and Kakashi tensed in preparation for an attack. After a few moments passed without an attack, the copy nin switched to the offensive. He stepped out from behind the tree, beginning to flash through hand signs:

"Fire Style: Fire-"

He paused, blinking as he realized that what he had heard was actually a pair of squirrels moving along the forest floor.

Seeing her moment, Ayumi leaped at Kakashi from behind a bush, flashing through hand signs before shouting:

"Earth Style: Column of Stone!"

As Kakashi spun around, he saw a large stone column rising rapidly from the ground at an angle towards his chin. He reacted quickly by leaping up into the air and kicking off of the column, performing a back flip in the process to land on the ground in a crouch.

Ayumi appeared behind Kakashi as he landed and moved to perform a kick at the back of his head, only to have her ankle caught firmly in Kakashi's grip. Utilizing her precarious position, the copy nin knocked her to the ground and quickly immobilized her after a small struggle. He smirked down at her with a kunai pressed to the side of her throat.

"You did very well, Ayumi. I can safely say that you're just a little better than you were all those years ago. Now the real work can begin."

Panting, she replied, "Good….to know…"

He released her and stood up before extending a hand and helping her up as well. They returned to the training ground, picking up their respective kunai and shuriken along the way. Once the area was relatively put back together, they looked at each other for a few moments.

"Um…do you wanna catch up? It's been awhile since we've talked," Ayumi questioned.

Kakashi pondered this question for a moment before shrugging, "Sure. Why not?"

They moved to a nearby shade tree and sat beneath it, enjoying the nice weather for several moments.

"So Kakashi…how is your team doing? Do you think they're ready for the chunin exams?" Ayumi questioned, looking at her friend.

He nodded slowly as he replied, "They're doing well, and I hope they're ready. If they can learn to cooperate, then they might make it past the forest of death. As far as sparring, Sasuke and Naruto will most likely get through."

Ayumi nodded, "I see. Have you heard about the difficulty level of the exam?"

Kakashi shook his head, "No, I haven't. However, they're getting progressively more difficult as the years go by. When I was prompted, it was a joke. Many young shinobi died because this village was short on ninja and they needed to replenish their ranks."

"You survived, though. You were intelligent and strong enough to."

The man laughed, "I had dumb luck on my side."

Ayumi chuckled, "No, I had dumb luck with my chunin exam."

Kakashi turned his head and looked at her, "Oh? What happened?"

She smiled, "I believe I told you before, but oh well," she sighed, her smile dropping, "Because there were so few entries that year, the villages and daimyo basically decided to have one large tournament. I made it through the first phase of the tournament, but my second match…"

Pausing, she touched her left arm and took a shuddering breath. Kakashi blinked before his eye widened slight, "Was that _**your **_exam? I believe I proctored that one. Do…Do you want to talk about it?"

With a sigh, she began to tell her story.

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><p>Hmm, so what exactly happened to her arm? Stay tuned for chapter 8 to find out! ^-^<p> 


	8. A Story and A Task

Hello everyone! Thank you Jennku and for the reviews! I hope you enjoy chapter eight! Remember all my readers, please review and I dont own Naruto; just Ayumi.

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

_Ayumi couldn't believe how fast her opponent was. It took nearly all of her energy to stay on the defensive against his taijutsu and water style attacks. The young man from the Mist village had managed to land a few wounds on her, but he didn't attack as severely as he obviously could have since a majority of them were minor nicks. He wanted to tire her out so he could finish her off in one big display that would convince his Kage and daimyo to promote him to chunin. _

_ She glanced up into the stands and saw her older brother enthusiastically cheering her on and remembered their training session together before the exams. Like her, he was an earth affinity user and had a natural talent for earth style jutsus. He had tried to teach her a powerful earth jutsu that she didn't have time to fully master to use without risk to herself, but she realized it was her last resort after all of her other attacks failed._

_ The young kunoichi feigned fatigue and dropped into a crouch, she heard a few gasps from the audience, but they couldn't seen the hand signs she was flashing through rapidly, before hearing her brother cry out with realization:_

_ "Ayumi! Don't!"_

_ It was too late, she finished the hand signs and shouted:_

_ "Earth Style: Multiple Earthen Fist Jutsu!"_

_ He opponent began to charge as she waited for earth to collect around her left fist but, as her attacker neared, she panicked and punched the ground in front of her. A small crater formed beneath her fist while several fists emerged from the ground a few feet from her attacker and flew at him from multiple angles. Unable to dodge them, the fists collided with his body, pummeling him into unconsciousness. After she was declared the winner, she cried out heavily in pain and touched her left arm before recoiling her hand, remembering the loud cracking sound she heard and fearing that her arm was injured from the force of the attack and not having the proper protection around her hand. _

_ A shadow descended upon her and she looked up to find her brother above her. He kneeled next to her and inspected her arm before looking at her, stating:_

_ "Ayumi, I told you not to use that jutsu! I warned you of the dangers and this is far worse!"_

_ "W-What happened, Hiroki?"_

_ A medical ninja quickly arrived and knelt before her, inspecting her and answering her question for her._

_ "The bones in your left arm and hand are fractured and broken in several places. It can be healed, but it will leave this arm permanently weak. You cannot finish the exams."_

_ Ayumi's eyes began to water, both from pain and sadness, and, as she was led away, she began crying softly._

* * *

><p>"Yeah, yeah. I remember that now. I felt sorry for you and was surprised at how well you held your own," Kakashi replied as he stared at the sky.<p>

Ayumi blinked, "Somewhere, there's a compliment in that."

Kakashi laughed, "Sorry. The things I say come across differently than I mean for them to. Your opponent was overconfident. That's how many were in the pathetic excuse for exams I participated in. Everyone wanted to beat up the six year old," he smirked, "I showed them."

The lavender haired kunoichi looked at him, "You must be very proud of that."

He laughed, "Can't say I am."

She smiled, "You were always so humble, but you've lightened up a lot."

"Somewhere, there's a compliment…."

They both shared a hearty laugh before being interrupted by a messenger shinobi from the Hokage's office.

"Pardon my intrusion, Ayumi-san and Kakashi-san!" The young man stated with a small bow.

Both stood and nodded; Ayumi spoke first:

"It's quite alright. Is there an emergency?"

The man shook his head before speaking, "No, but the Hokage needs to speak with you, Ayumi-san."

She sighed before dismissing the young man and turning to Kakashi, who already had his Icha Icha out. She laughed softly:

"I guess I better head on over to see the Hokage. It was nice seeing you, Kakashi. Don't be a stranger!"

With that, they parted ways, Kakashi watching her go before heading off into the village.

* * *

><p>The sun was setting in a brilliant display that was visible from the Hokage's office. Ayumi gazed out of the large expanse of windows at the beautiful scene before her: her village, her home bathed in warm, radiant, red-orange light. She glanced back at Sarutobi and sighed a bit in frustration that he summoned her while he was very busy with paperwork for the upcoming exams. She smiled as he finally stood before blinking as he made his way to one of the windows.<p>

"Ayumi. How have you been?" The old man questioned while removing the pipe from his mouth.

She approached him and stood beside him, enjoying the view that she loved with him, "Well Hokage-sama, I've been doing well. I've settled in my apartment and I, surprisingly, enjoy my job at the academy."

He nodded, "And how are you progressing in training?"

"Very well. I was sparring with Kakashi earlier and he believes I've returned to my former level if not better than that," she replied with a smile.

Sarutobi nodded again and puffed a bit on his pipe, contemplating his response before speaking, "Good. That's very good. I believe you're wondering why I called you here."

"Aww, it's not because you missed me?" Ayumi fake pouted.

The Hokage chuckled softly, "I called you here because I would like you to help proctor the exams. Just to prevent anyone from getting seriously injured. It was reckless in the past to let exams go so far as many promising shinobi were left crippled or very close to it."

Ayumi's gaze dropped and she touched her left arm, "Y-Yes. I agree."

"Hmm?" Sarutobi turned and looked at Ayumi before nodding, "Ah, yes. You understand fully then. Also, with shinobi arriving from the other participating villages soon, I would like for you to keep an eye open when you can for anything suspicious. It never hurts to be too careful."

The old man returned to his desk and Ayumi returned to her position before it as she replied, "Of course, Hokage-sama."

"Good. You're free to go. That's all I wanted."

She bowed slightly and turned to exit before she heard the Hokage address her again, "Oh, and feel free to drop by for visits. I only get visitors if something is wrong or someone needs something."

Ayumi laughed softly, "I'll keep that in mind, Hokage-sama. Goodnight."

With that, she exited his office and headed home for the night.

* * *

><p>Kakashi sighed as he stood before the memorial stone, contemplating his past and his current situation.<p>

_'Why am I letting her get so close to me? She'll only end up getting hurt if she does…'_

The copy nin sighed as he stared at the names on the stone before him, whispering, "If only all of you were still alive….It wouldn't matter so much then…"

"Why do you do this to yourself, Kakashi?"

The man blinked and turned, his eye meeting Iruka's.

"Hello Iruka, what brings you were?" He asked with a false smile behind his mask.

The chunin walked forward slowly before stopping next to Kakashi, "I always try to make my way over here once a week to honor my parents. Now, answer my question."

Kakashi shook his head, "I'm not sure what you mean, Iruka."

"You know what I mean, Kakashi. Pushing people away. You keep your distance from the people that want to befriend you and care about you."

The older man sighed, "I'm afraid of losing people, Iruka….I've lost nearly everyone in my life…"

Iruka sighed, "It's part of life, Kakashi. As shinobi, it's a risk we take. But a life without close friends is a sad life. Having friends is the way to learn from their experiences and grow on a deeper level by connecting with them. We need friends to become better people."

Kakashi shook his head, "I have friends, Iruka, but, I'm cursed. If I keep them at a distance, it keeps them from getting hurt."

"No, Kakahsi. That wall of yours keeps out pain, but it also keeps out love. It keeps _**you **_from getting hurt and _**causes **_them to get hurt. You hide and they wonder if they did something to make you pull away," the younger man replied.

The silver-haired man looked at Iruka, "This is more than just about my friends, isn't it?"

"Ayumi's hurt that you have been pushing her away. From what I can gather, you two were close during your ANBU days and she misses that," Iruka replied with a sigh, "Also, she'd, probably murder me for saying this, but growing up, she had a crush on you."

The man blinked and looked at Iruka, "Really? I just thought she valued our friendship deeply. Does she still?"

Iruka chuckled, "I can't tell you that."

Kakashi nodded before staring at the memorial stone again before looking at Iruka as he spoke:

"I'll leave you alone now, Kakashi. It's getting late, goodnight."

With that, Iruka walked off, leaving Kakashi to ponder the chunin's advice and his situation with Ayumi as the day quickly turned to night around him.


	9. A Confession

Hello everyone! Here is chapter nine! Thank you **aniwolfgirl** and **Jennku** for reviewing! To add some clarity from the previous chapter, the "Multiple Earthen Fist" jutsu that Ayumi's brother taught her is very dangerous if you do not allow earth to full encase your fist and wrist at the start of the jutsu. This also applies to any jutsu that requires direct contact with the earth that her brother taught her. The main reason that Ayumi was not supposed to use this jutsu was because she hadn't fully mastered control over it, i.e. the earth collection occurred too slow. So, when she used it and punched the ground, the earth had not had enough time to gather and the force of the impact to the ground plus the force of the jutsu was what severely damaged her arm. Now, after she healed, she spent as much time as she could with her brother developing the "earth gathering" portion of his techniques so it occurred much faster (see the first spar between Kakashi and Ayumi to see her use of it). So, since she can collect earth around her fist(s) more rapidly and now that she wears armor to strengthen her weak arm and provide extra strength to her strong arm, she could, theoretically, use the "Multiple Earth Fist" jutsu. However, she fears this jutsu heavily because of the power it had to nearly destroy her arm although she knows she could use it successfully. Whew! Now that that's over with, on with Chapter 9! Side note, this chapter does contain minor language. Also, I do not own Naruto, only Ayumi!

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

The copy ninja sighed as he walked down the street with his team behind him, orange book in hand. He had mixed emotions as he led them to the building that held the first portion of their exam; he was worried about Sakura, sensing her own nervousness, and he felt uneasy about Sasuke and Naruto, having bad feelings concerning them both. He glanced back at his team briefly before looking ahead and turning down another large street. Shortly afterwards, they arrived at a large building and he slipped his book in his back pocket. Turning, he faced his team who had stopped a few feet away and spoke:

"This is where we separate. The floor and room you need to go to is in the scroll about the exam you received at the genin meeting," he sighed before smiling, "Good luck, you guys!"

He turned and walked away before stopping and looking back, watching them head inside. He thought, with a sad sigh:

_'It seemed like only yesterday I was just taking them on as my team….and now…' _He shook his head, _'I'm growing soft….'_

Kakashi pulled out his Icha Icha book, turning once again to walk aimlessly as he read before blinking as he heard someone calling his name. Looking up, he saw Ayumi approaching him at a fast jog.

"Kakashi! Have they gone inside already?" She stopped in front of him and began panting slightly while leaning over a bit.

With a slightly annoyed sigh, he put his book away again, "Yes, yes they have."

"Damn. I…I was hoping to…to wish them luck and give them advice," she replied, straightening up again and giving Kakashi a smile.

"It's alright. They got all the advice they needed from me," he replied with a flat tone.

Ayumi blinked a bit, offended and puzzled, "Alright…but advice from anyone is usually goo- Never mind. I'm sure Sakura was nervous. I remember how nervous I was, especially since one of my team members was falling ill."

"Mhm."

Offended again, Ayumi questioned, "You okay, Kakashi?"

"Yes, just fine," the copy ninja replied again in that same aggravated flat tone.

With a nod, she replied, "Okay. So, want to get some breakfast?"

"Already ate."

"Oh. Want to see my apartment? You haven't been by, like you'd said you would."

"No."

"Lunch?"

"It's 8:30 AM."

"Would you like to train then?"

"No."

"But Kakashi! You made a promise to me and you've been distant ever since that day we trained together," Ayumi replied with a huff.

The silver haired man sighed, "Fine then…"

He walked past her and began heading towards their usual training ground with his book already in hand. Quickly catching up to him, Ayumi began walking by his side.

"Um…Kakashi?….I'm sorry…I was getting on your nerves…I was just asking if you wanted to do something to distract you from any worries you have about your team…If you really don't want to train or spar with me then you don't have to," she stated with a sigh.

Feeling regretful for being a little harsh, he replied, "I want to spar."

Ayumi smiled before nodding. She turned her gazed forward before glancing back at Kakashi:

"Hey, you ever shown anyone what's under that mask?"

When he didn't reply, she quickly thrust her hand forward to grab his mask and pull it down before frowning as his hand quickly stopped hers:

"Ayumi…that didn't work when we were teenagers….it won't work now."

The kunoichi quickly apologized and remained silent as they walked down the road; her thoughts, however, were focused on the spar ahead and how to manipulate it to get Kakashi's mask off.

* * *

><p>Ayumi continued moving closer to Kakashi every time he took a step backwards to dodge her kicks and punches. He noted that she had increased her speed but also found it to be curious that she was working so heavily with her taijutsu. He performed a quick back flip that caused Ayumi to stumble back slightly before he began to flip through hand symbols.<p>

The kunoichi's eyes widened slightly before she dashed forward, quickly reaching Kakashi and beginning to punch at his torso. While he was distracted with defensive moves, Ayumi began looking around for ways to either knock Kakashi down or pin him against something. Finally, she smirked slightly as they were nearing a small ridge of rocks she had created earlier during their spar.

Kakashi, though typically levelheaded, began growing slightly nervous as he began to realize she was after his mask. He recalled that she was nearly successful on her last attempt when they were in ANBU, and this time, she was faster. Suddenly, he recognized a falling sensation and he realized she had found a method to trip him. Before he could maneuver out of the fall, she was pushing on his chest, causing him to fall faster and, with a thud that knocked the wind out of him, Kakashi blinked and began taking in his present situation.

Ayumi sat on his chest, panting softly with her hands pinning his hands above his head. She smirked and slowly, due to his resistance, moved his hands together so she could hold them down with her left hand. Tentatively, she moved her right hand down to his mask and smirked as she touched the edge.

Kakashi sensed her brief moment of hesitation as she touched his mask and used it, along with the weakness of her left arm, to free a hand and flip her off of him. He quickly regained his footing and, before Ayumi could react, flashed through hand signs and trapped her in a caged of lightning.

"I thought I told you the first time you did that to never do it again!" Kakashi shouted at her, briefly losing his temper.

Ayumi scoffed, "C'mon, Kakashi. I was just testing my taijutsu abilities. The mask-"

"The mask was an ulterior motive. I thought you respected my wishes! You used to be better than tha-"

"Let me the fuck out of here, Kakashi!"

The masked man paused before complying and releasing her from the lightening cage, "I shouldn't have lost my temper…"

"No! You shouldn't have! Kakashi, what's wrong with you? Did I do something? One day, we're rekindling our friendship and the next, you're kicking me to the curb. One day, we're training and laughing over memories, the next, you avoid me! I considered you my best friend, Kakashi, but now… you keep me at arm's length and barely visit. And let's not talk about your promise to train with me. What did I do?..._What did I do?_...You are a wonderful friend…we make a good team…and you always give me amazing advice…But now…it's like I don't know you anymore…"

Kakashi sighed, "Ayumi…it's not that easy…imagine…imagine if everyone who ever meant anything to you…you lost…wouldn't you feel responsible in some way? Wouldn't you feel…cursed? That's how I feel…that's how I've felt since my mother died…I thought I had broken that curse when you were around for more than a year…but…when you were lost…I felt like it was happening all over again…"

"Stop it, Kakashi Hatake! I have lost everyone I ever loved and cared for too! So don't act like I can't relate to that pain! I know what this is about, you're still feeling guilty for what happened to me…." She fell silent for a moment before speaking softly, "Kakashi…there's something you need to know…"

The man blinked, "What?"

She sighed, "When I said I would go distract them while you got away, I knew I couldn't escape…I hoped I would be able to somehow elude them…but I knew shinobi were crawling all over that building…So, when we were being followed…I decided to sacrifice myself…for you…"

"S-Sacrifice yourself…for me? But why? Why Ayumi?" Kakashi questioned, stunned and a little angry.

"I thought it would be painfully obvious to the Copy Cat," she replied while shaking her head, "I care for you beyond that of a friend, Kakashi…I love you…Kami! I can't believe I'm telling you this!"

'_Iruka was right.' _"When?"

"Do you remember our third mission?"

_As the smoke cleared from his large fireball jutsu, Kakashi surveyed the damage. Three of the shinobi attacking him were severely injured, dying quickly, and the other two were dead. At some point, he had become separated from Ayumi and it worried him that the sound of earth jutsus and clanging kunai had ceased. _

_Following the trail of destruction, he arrived at the final location of Ayumi's battle. Two of her attackers were impaled on earth spikes, two were crushed underneath large boulders, and the last had been stabbed with his own katana. After surveying the outcome of her battle, he grew worried that she wasn't greeting him in her usual "I just kicked ass!" attitude. _

_Noticing a trail of blood, he followed it around a boulder and sprinted towards Ayumi who was several yards away and leaning against a tree._

"_Ayumi! What happened?"_

_She turned her head up to him and took off her mask, panting heavily while clutching a large gash in her side through her armor, "Man…with katana…pretty good blow…" A hacking cough emphasized the seriousness of her condition._

_He shook his head and made her sit down with her back against the tree. After removing her armor, he ripped her shirt a little more around the injury in order to be able to clean and dress the wound properly. Upon taking off his dog mask to be able to see better, he started to clean the wound with alcohol from Ayumi's medical supplies scroll. Ayumi tensed heavily and gritted her teeth:_

"_D-Did you really need to use alcohol?"_

"_Do you really want an infection in this wound?" He replied flatly._

_She relaxed as she coughed slightly before looking at him, "Sorry…I-I'm just embarrassed that I couldn't w-walk away without injury…like you..."_

_He chuckled softly as he began placing gauze on the wound, "It happens. Besides, it seems you did very well. You took care of those opponents that would be the easiest to defeat first so you could direct your attention towards the challenge."_

_The purple haired kunoichi blushed softly, "T-Thank you, Kakashi."_

_He smiled a bit before beginning to wrap the wound with bandages, being careful not to tie them too tightly before helping her stand._

"_Are you ready?"_

_Ayumi nodded and took two steps forward before beginning to collapse from blood loss and unconsciousness. Kakashi quickly caught her, sighing and muttering to himself:_

"_You've lost too much blood. C'mon, I'll carry you back."_

_He picked her up bridal style and began leaping back towards the village for her to receive proper medical care. _

_The light breeze on her face woke her slightly, she looked up and noticed a couple of things: her ANBU mask was in her lap and Kakashi looked so heroic and handsome at that moment. As he carried her, he held her close and she had never felt safer than at that very moment. She blushed at her thoughts and felt a warm sensation in her heart, but she tried to deny it. Feeling a little ill, she closed her eyes and fell back into unconsciousness, all the while pressing closer to Kakashi and resting her head against his chest to listen to his heart beat._

"At that moment, when you were carrying me. I began developing feelings for you. I tried to hide them, trust me…I didn't want them to interfere with our duties to our village…and when I was captured…you know what kept me going? What kept me from telling all of Konoha's secrets?"

"Me?" Kakashi questioned.

She nodded, "Yes…you. I held on to the hope that I would be able to return and…someday…feel your arms holding me again…" She didn't know when she had begun crying, but she wiped her eyes quickly, "Well?"

He remained silent, unsure of how to react.

Steeling her resolve, she replied, "F-Fine. I'll give you some time to think…just don't speak to me again until you have some kind of response…" She turned to leave, before stopping and glancing back at him, speaking softly, "I meant it, Kakashi…all of it…You've done a lot for me…and I don't expect anything from you…"

With that, she leapt away to be alone, tears slipping out of her eyes again, hurt by his silence.

After several moments, he began walking towards the memorial stone, trapped in his thoughts:

_ 'Iruka was right….and now I've hurt her…Kami, what do I do?'_


	10. An Apology

Hello everyone! Here is chapter 10! I apologize if the beginning of this chapter sucks, it was one of my least favorite ones to you **Jennku** for reviewing! Keep the reviews coming everyone! Remember, I don't own Naruto, just Ayumi, and now, on with Chapter 10!

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

Ayumi stared absent-mindedly out across the genin teams as the introductory proceedings for the preliminaries began. She was proud that all of Kakashi's, Asuma's, Kurenai's, and Gai's teams passed the second stage of the exams. She was also amazed at the number of genin that had survived the forest of death to get to this point. However, she was concerned because Sasuke seemed to be in pain of some sorts as he clutched his shoulder. This concern was only piqued when she noticed Sasuke preventing Sakura from saying something when given the opportunity to withdrawal from the exam.

Upon the announcement of the first match, she followed the rest of the Konoha shinobi to their side of the arena. Trying to get as far away from Kakashi as possible, she stood between Asuma and Gai, and their teams respectively. Her curiosity about Sasuke's condition was furthered when she noticed Kakashi speaking with him before joining Naruto and Sakura in the balcony. After seeing Sasuke in training, she was interested to see him in an actual fight, but noticed the lack of jutsu as the fight began.

_'There must be something wrong…'_

She stepped forward slightly as Sasuke's opponent was stealing his chakra by gripping Sasuke's head tightly in his hand before blinking as she heard Naruto beginning to shout taunts at him. She glanced at the blonde before looking back just in time to witness Sasuke defeat Yoroi with a powerful taijutsu attack.

"That move! Why, it's just like Lee's!" Gai exclaimed.

Ayumi glanced at Kakashi to gauge his reaction but blinked to see him down in the arena by Sasuke. Suddenly, the copy ninja whisked Sasuke away.

_'There definitely has to be something wrong…if Kakashi has to do something…there must be something wrong.'_

She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts of Kakashi and turned her attention back to the beginning match between Zaku and Shino.

* * *

><p>After several minutes of sealing, Kakashi stepped back from Sasuke, panting quietly. Sasuke's condition was poor and he'd need time in the hospital to recover. Suddenly, a feeling of dread descended upon Kakashi and he looked up and entered a defensive position as Orochimaru appeared from the shadows that surrounded them in the dimly lit, stone underbelly of the preliminary arena.<p>

"Ahh…very good, Kakashi…You helped save his life…which is all the better for me…now…if you would kindly step away so I can take him with me…" The snake man stated menacingly.

The Copy Ninja shook his head, replying coolly, "You're not getting him."

To emphasize his point, he flashed through hand symbols and created a large chidori all while glaring at one of the Sanin.

_'If he chose to engage me…It wouldn't be a match at all…but I have to do all I can…'_

Orochimaru chuckled, beginning to fade back into the darkness, "Not now…but soon….soon, he'll seek me out for the power he needs…I won't even have to use force to capture him…"

After the Snake Master disappeared, Kakashi released the chidori and sighed, realizing how close he had come to death before gathering up Sasuke. However, as he travelled to the hospital, he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had descended upon him and fearing the truth that Orochimaru's words held. Kakashi decided at that moment to train Sasuke personally.

* * *

><p>Ayumi tensed after Temari swiftly defeated TenTen with a gut wrenching landing on her fan and grew nervous as Gai's mini, known as Rock Lee, leapt down to try to avenge her. However, she relaxed when Gai intervened to prevent what would have been a serious fight. As she glanced around, she noticed that Kakashi had returned at some point. Ayumi began to wonder when before pushing the thoughts out of her mind as it was announced that Neji and Hinata Hyuuga were to face off next.<p>

This pairing intrigued her, as she was sure it did most, considering the history of the Hyuuga and their somewhat secretive nature. She felt very sorry for Hinata due to Neji's teasing since Kurenai had explained to her about Hinata's self-esteem issues. However, when Naruto began defending the young Hyuuga kunoichi, she held some hope that this would allow Hinata to defeat Neji.

But, as the fight progressed, her hope was lost as Neji repeatedly struck Hinata with Gentle Fists moves and out maneuvered her weakening attacks since, it appeared, that her chakra had been blocked. Ayumi couldn't help but find their fighting style incredible and almost artful in a way, but frighteningly powerful.

Suddenly, she, along with the other Konoha jonin recognized the killer strike that Neji was about to deliver and, quickly, most intervened to save Hinata and stop Neji. Ayumi stood in front of Hinata, a kunai in hand, with Hayate in front of her, his fingers on Neji's forehead. Kakashi gripped Neji's right arm while Kurenai gripped his left, leaving Gai to hold Neji back with an arm around his neck. Hayate announced that Neji was to be deemed the winner and Ayumi turned to Hinata, asking if she was okay. When Kurenai approached to comfort Hinata as well as see she was escorted to the hospital, Ayumi turned to head back to the balcony and her eyes met Kakashi's. She thought she saw a hurt look in his eyes, but she shook it off as she returned to her place.

Kakashi watched Ayumi return to the balcony and sighed, thinking, _'When can I tell her? It has to be soon…but…when…and how do I even begin?'_

As the next battle proceeded with Rock Lee and Gaara, Ayumi began growing nervous. She was ominously reminded of her chunin exam battle. She looked at Gai and saw that even he was worried about his student, especially since he had resorted to releasing the Chakra Gates, which could prove deadly. As she directed her attention back to the battle, she gasped as Rock Lee's attempts to avoid the moving sand had finally failed and his left leg and arm became encased in it before being crushed. Ayumi cringed at the sickening crunch that filled the air.

_'That sound….so much like that day…'_

Hayate intervened along with Gai and Ayumi. She knelt beside Rock Lee and began evaluating his condition while someone sent for the medics. Attempting to ease his pain, she tried to block off chakra flow to the areas, but when he didn't respond, she took to trying to comfort him.

"Ayumi…how bad is it?" Gai questioned.

The purple-haired kunoichi gulped slightly, trying to remain calm, "B-Bad…even I can see that…v-very bad…"

She stood up on shaking legs as the medical team arrived and took Rock Lee away. Ayumi's mind was filled with the memories and the pain of her own exam and, when she touched her weak arm, she shuddered hard.

Kakashi approached her and asked softly, "Ayumi? Are you okay?"

Ayumi jumped slightly and looked up at Kakashi before quickly turning and leaving. He sighed and, upon the end of the last match, went to find her.

* * *

><p>Kakashi walked with a steady pace through the village, searching for Ayumi. He was growing worried since he couldn't sense her chakra signature readily and knew he must not be near here.<p>

_'I have to find her. She was visibly upset…'_

Finally, after searching for nearly two hours, he spotted her sitting on a bench near the river. As he approached her, he mentally commented on a few things:

_'She very far from the preliminaries…she might not want to talk…and she looks like she's been crying…'_

He landed several yards from her and walked towards her slowly. The steady pounding of his sandals against the ground drew Ayumi's attention to him and she quickly wiped her eyes while asking:

"What do you want?"

Kakashi sighed as he stood next to her before replying, "I wanted to make sure you were okay…and to talk…"

Ayumi nodded a bit and scooted over so he could sit next to her, which he promptly did, before she replied, "I'm fine…and, since you're here, I assume you finally figured out what you wanted to say to me."

He chuckled a bit, "Something like that…" His tone grew very serious, "Ayumi…you're intelligent…with the occasional wit…you're very kind…and…I think you're beautiful…"

She blushed heavily and began to speak before Kakashi continued.

"You have more talent than you know and use…and a mental resolve that most shinobi would kill for…you do have your weaknesses…like we all do…Mine, is being unable to truly heal from loss…but, when we were in ANBU together…I found that being around you did something to me. It allowed me to…to become close to people again. You caused me to believe I wasn't cursed…to not fear having friends that I cared for deeply…and when I lost you…it was like going back to square one…when I had no one…when I was cursed…It's taken me years to figure out what you did to me…"

Heavily confused, Ayumi questioned, "Okay…but now that I'm back?"

Kakashi chuckled a bit, mostly at his own foolishness and some from Ayumi's confusion, "At first, I didn't know how to react…then, Iruka gave me the idea to help you on the road to recovery…to help pay the debt that I felt obligated to pay…so I visited you in the hospital and let you stay with me…but then, I grew afraid that I would feel what you made me feel so long ago…and that I would lose you again…I would suffer through the pain that I felt last time. So I tried to push you away, which hurt even more to my surprise, and after your confession to me," he looked up into her sparkling, green eyes and continued, "I realized…that even back then…I was feeling the beginnings of love…I had suppressed it, but it was reawakened when you returned…when I realized this…Kami, Ayumi, I became scared….because everyone I ever loved died…but, I'm tired of seeing what so many enjoy and not having that for myself…So, despite knowing the risks…I want to be in a relationship with you, if you'll have me… I love you too Ayumi, it just took me four years to realize it."

Ayumi sat stunned for several moments before she flung her arms around Kakashi and hugged him tightly, "Oh, Kakashi! The chance to hear those very words kept me alive…and now…it's so surreal to hear them."

Kakashi smiled softly at Ayumi's happiness and wrapped his arms around her frame tightly, replying gently, "I can say them as often as you like…"

The kunoichi shook her head softly and lifted it to look into Kakashi's eye, "No…too often and they will become meaningless…I just want to see it in your eye, as I do right now…"

The stared lovingly into each other's eyes before Ayumi leaned in and kissed Kakashi through his mask. He kissed her back the best he could, his right hand lifting up and caressing her cheek softly. She shuddered from the feeling the rough fabric of his gloves against her cheek before she broke the kiss, blushing heavily.

"Imagine if someone saw us…especially you, Mister Copy Ninja," she chuckled softly.

He replied, smiling, "I imagine they would believe I'd gone soft."

They both laughed this time before Kakashi questioned, "Ayumi, would you like to move back in?"

She nodded quickly, "Yes, I'd love to."

Kakashi smiled, "Then, let's go get your stuff."

* * *

><p>Ayumi carried in the last of the boxes of vital stuff. What she didn't need immediately, she sealed inside a storage scroll while the rest now sat in boxes that were stacked in the guest bedroom of Kakashi's apartment. Though, it would be safe to say that, it was now her bedroom. She smiled at Kakashi in the hallway before beginning to set up the room and organize her stuff again.<p>

Kakashi's thoughts raced as he thought about Sasuke, _'He needs to begin training now. I have to show him how to be powerful without using that cursed seal. It would be the only way to prevent him from seeking out Orochimaru,' _a shudder coursed through him as the words that the snake had given him echoed in his mind, _'I have a month before the finals of the chunin exams….a month to try to save Sasuke…I'll need to train with him practically every day…Ayumi won't like that…and if I choose to teach him the chidori…I'll have to do it away from the village in order to do it safely…Ayumi really won't like that…' _

With a sigh, he stepped into Ayumi's room as she was finishing up making her bed.

"Ayumi…there's something I need to tell you," Kakashi stated with a sad look in his eye.

"Yes?" She asked while opening a box to pull out some clothing.

Kakashi sighed, "You know that there is a one-month training period for those that made it to the finals of the chunin exams coming up…"

Ayumi paused, "Yes…Kakashi, just tell me."

"The short version…is that Orochimaru gave Sasuke a cursed mark that could lead to Sasuke defecting from the village to seek the power Orochimaru has promised him in the form of this seal…I have to help him…So, I must train him for the whole month ahead."

"But…we just got together…and…"Ayumi stopped herself and sighed, "I'm being silly. I understand. Considering the mission Sasuke tasked himself with…I understand why you have to do this…When will you be leaving?"

Kakashi sighed again, "Tomorrow morning. The sooner, the better."

Ayumi quickly moved across the room and hugged Kakashi tightly, smiling as she felt his hand run through her hair before she released him, asking:

"Do you need to go gather some supplies?"

He nodded, "Yes. I'll let you get back to what you were doing," he kissed her forehead gently, "I love you, Ayumi."

She smiled in return, "I love you too, Kakashi."

After watching Kakashi leave her room and hearing him leave the apartment, she returned to her boxes with a sigh.


	11. An Interruption

Hello everyone! I was getting ready to post this chapter a realized that we're past the halfway point! So exciting. It's just flown by! Thank you **Jennku** and **aniwolfgirl** for reviewing! I always look forward to reviews, my readers, so please, review! Also, I apologize for rushing the chunin exams, but I was more excited to get to certain events later on. Anyway, remember, I do not own Naruto, just my OC. And now, on with the chapter! Enjoy!

**P.S.: I am updating the story early today, instead of on the usual Saturday/Wednesday schedule, simply because I will be very busy tomorrow starting very early and lasting until late in the afternoon. So, I decided that, instead of making you wait for the new chapter, I would update. Enjoy an early update!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

To many villagers, daimyo, and traveling guests, the month between the preliminaries and the finals of the chunin exams seemed to fly by. To the competitors, the time seemed to pass even faster. But, to Ayumi, the time seemed to drag on. She did her best to occupy her time by working with the children at the preschool more, training heavily in taijutsu and physical strength, and strengthening her friendship with Iruka. Despite all she did though, she still missed Kakashi and her longing was intensified when night fell for his apartment just wasn't the same without him there.

Finally, though, the day arrived when he would return. However, she grew worried as she sat next to Iruka in the large stadium to witness the finals when Kakashi still hadn't shown and the first math was about to begin. Ayumi glanced at Iruka and saw that he was very nervous as Naruto was making his way to face Neji on the field.

"Iruka, don't worry so much. Naruto will do just fine," Ayumi stated, hoping to calm him down some.

The chunin nodded a bit, "I'm sure you're right, Ayumi, but I can't help be nervous for him."

"It's alright, I understand."

Iruka looked at her, "You're worried because you don't see Kakashi, aren't you?"

Ayumi nodded silently as the match between Neji and Naruto began.

* * *

><p>"Kakashi, we better not be late for my match!" Sasuke exclaimed as he watched his sensei packing up their supplies.<p>

The older man smiled and laughed softly, "Don't worry, Sasuke. Based on the position of the sun, the first match hasn't even begun yet. We still have plenty of time to make it back."

Sasuke stared blankly at the copy nin, "We're two hours outside the village…and it's ten a.m."

Kakashi paused, "What time is your match?"

"Eleven…"

"….Damn…" Kakashi quickly finished packing before the two began at a very fast pace back towards the village.

* * *

><p>"At-a-boy Naruto! That's how you win a match!" Iruka shouted before cheering some more while standing.<p>

Ayumi clapped and cheered, standing beside her friend before sitting down when he did while smiling, "See, Iruka! I told you he could do it!"

A loud voice boomed across the arena, "**THE NEXT MATCH SHALL BEGIN. SASUKE UCHIHA VS GAARA OF THE SAND!"**

A wave of murmurs could be heard across the stadium and Ayumi realized that Kakashi still had not shown up. Ayumi leaned over to Iruka and questioned:

"If he doesn't show up with Sasuke, what happens?"

Iruka looked at her and stated, "Sasuke is disqualified."

Ayumi became very nervous, knowing how disappointed Kakashi would be if he was the reason why his student couldn't compete, but she was very relieved when it was announced that the match would be postponed until the end.

* * *

><p>When the match between Shino and a genin named Kankuro was called off because of Kankuro forfeiting, Ayumi turned to Iruka and whispered softly:<p>

"That's very strange, in light of Hayate's death. This is confidential, but the shinobi who inspected the scene said a very skilled wind affinity user murdered him. And guess who's in town with wind abilities? Suna. It's very suspicious if you ask me."

Iruka chuckled a bit and whispered in return, "You were always one for conspiracy theories, Ayumi."

She shrugged and sat back as the third match was announced, "Hey, I like to consider all possibilities."

As Shikamaru made his way to the arena, she glanced over at Asuma who was sitting by Kurenai. He seemed slightly worried about his student, but Ayumi knew that Asuma had the upmost confidence that his student was succeed.

* * *

><p>If asked after the finals which match was most interesting, Ayumi would have probably said, at that moment, Shikamaru's. She felt that his intelligence rivaled that of Kakashi's and his ability to strategize under a great deal of pressure was incredible. Iruka and Ayumi cheered him on before being dismayed that he quit the match when he clearly had Temari defeated.<p>

Ayumi looked over at Asuma who was chuckling softly to himself while shaking his head and when he caught her glance, he just shrugged.

The lavender haired kunoichi's attention was drawn back to arena as it was announced that Sasuke's match was going to be delayed a little longer. Ayumi began tapping her foot and looking around before smirking a bit.

_'He's back…'_

Kakashi and Sasuke made a grand entrance in a whirlwind of leaves. Those most eager for the match began cheering when they noticed the Uchiha and cheered even louder as the fight began. Ayumi looked to her left and smiled as Kakashi was standing next to her.

"It's about time you arrived."

He looked down at her and smirked, "I wasn't that late."

Iruka leaned forward and stated, "Two hours," before leaning back and watching the match.

Kakashi scoffed before realizing that Gai had been speaking to him during his exchange with Ayumi and Iruka, he looked at his rival and asked, "Hm? You were saying something?"

He shook his head and looked away as Gai began one of his usual spaz-out moments, watching his student for any change that would indicate that he was beginning to use his cursed mark.

Ayumi was amazed at how Sasuke's speed had increased, but she was most amazed at the fact that Kakashi taught him to use the chidori.

"You taught him that?"

He nodded, "I hope it would give him a taste of the power he could find here…"

Ayumi nodded before blinking as she felt a genjutsu being cast, she quickly stood and dispelled the jutsu before looking at Kakashi.

"Something's wro-"

At that moment, a massive smoke bomb exploded in the Kage's balcony. Iruka stood before leaving quickly, stating he had to get the students at the Academy to safety. When Ayumi turned around, she was quickly engaged in battle by a ninja from the sound who she quickly kicked in the stomach before looking at Kakashi and Gai who were defeating their own attackers. Gai headed off with another group of shinobi while Kakashi and Ayumi began heading towards the Kage box, but before reaching it, Asuma intercepted them.

"Ayumi! Kakashi! We need you elsewhere! ANBU are taking care of that. There are Suna nin and Oto nin coming in swarms!" Asuma shouted over the noise of crumbling buildings.

The three of them left the stadium once Kakashi sent Pakkun with Sakura and Shikamaru to find Sasuke, Gaara, and, now, Naruto.

* * *

><p>When Asuma, Kakashi, and Ayumi arrived at a major scene of battle, the smoker left to find Kurenai who had become separated from him during the attacks in the stadium. Ayumi and Kakashi began dispatching shinobi as quickly as they could. Over the noise of battle, Kakashi shouted:<p>

"You improved your taijutsu!"

Ayumi smirked and round-housed kicked a ninja in the face, "Yep! Had to get better than you!"

Ayumi laughed before creating a large boulder and knocking down and/or crushing several shinobi trying to breach the wall. The masked man smiled, being reminded of the old Ayumi as he stabbed a shinobi in the stomach with a kunai. He progressed his way forward and groaned inwardly when Gai arrived by his side.

"Kakashi! My rival! Let's make this more interesting, shall we?" Gai declared loudly while punching a Suna nin in the stomach.

"Gai, I need to focus," the copy nin replied.

"Ha! Kakashi! You're either a spoil-sport or you're in fear of defeat!"

"Let's go with one of those," he replied as he dispatched another shinobi, this time from the sound, with a quick fire style jutsu.

"Bah! We shall duel and it shall be a battle to see who can defeat the most shinobi!" Gai declared again while punching an enemy in the face, "Ha! One!"

Kakashi looked at him, "I have five," he punched another ninja, "Six."

Dumbfounded, Gai immediately set off to catch up to his rival and Kakashi turned to look for Ayumi. Not seeing her close by, he grew very worried for her safety but knew that she could handle what came her way.

* * *

><p>Ayumi cried out as she was attack from behind by a shinobi with a katana, his blade slicing through the skin on her back, not deeply, but enough to be uncomfortable as she fought. A kunai to the gut dispatched an opponent standing before her and as she spun around to dodge another attack from the katana wielder, the blade cut her deeply on her right side. Dodging a third attack, she moved in close to the shinobi, where the katana would be bulky and useless, and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying into a tree.<p>

She turned, facing three more shinobi who arrived before quickly flashing through hand signs. A wall of earth formed before her and she thrust her hands forward, catching two of the shinobi and crushing them against the ground. Stepping into a defensive position, she watched as her opponent studied her for a moment before he charged at her while flashing through hand signs. She began preparing one of the few fire style jutsus she knew, but the attacker's wind jutsu rushed towards her, which she artfully dodged before sending a large burst of flames flying at him.

Upon his defeat, she dropped to the ground and winced slightly in pain. She heard the sound of cheers, signaling Konoha's victory in repelling the attack and she smiled.

* * *

><p>Once Kakashi defeated his last opponent, he quickly began searching for Ayumi. He locked in on her chakra and headed to her location, noticing the path of destruction along the way.<p>

Finally, he reached her side and quickly knelt by her, seeing first, the cut on her back, then the cut on her side.

"Ayumi! Are you okay?"

She looked up at Kakashi and smiled, "I've been better…but I'll be alright. I took a medical ninjutsu class or two while you were gone…I'm healing myself as we speak…"

Kakashi quirked his exposed eyebrow before sighing, "Come on. They're setting up medical tents and they could at least bandage you since that seems to be taking too long."

Despite her protests, Kakashi made her stand and carefully wrapped an arm around her waist while positioning one of her arms around his neck and quickly made his way to a tent.

* * *

><p>Ayumi thanked the medic as he finished bandaging her side after healing her back before he left to attend to another shinobi.<p>

"Your clothing seems ruined. You'll need another," Kakashi stated.

She sighed and nodded, "I know, it's so sad. I really liked this outfit."

Before Kakashi could reply, a messenger entered the tent and told them they were needed immediately. Both of them quickly stood and followed the young man out of the tent and accompanied him to, what was, the Kage balcony in the stadium. As they landed amongst the other jonin, Ayumi gasped and whispered softly:

"Sarutobi-sama…oh no…."

The jonin of Konoha stood quietly around the Hokage's body before Asuma spoke:

"How did this happen?"

A cat-masked ANBU stepped forward and stated, "It was Orochimaru, Asuma-san. We couldn't break through the barrier. We're sorry."

They all remained in silence for several more moments before the elders came and took away Sarutobi's body with the help of the ANBU. Kakashi wrapped his arm around Ayumi's waist as tears filled her eyes and they walked home together in mournful contemplation.


	12. The Funeral

Hello everyone! Here is chapter 12! This chapter is **very canon** since, well, I didn't want to mess with the simplistic elegance of the events of the Hokage's funeral. Anyway, I do hope you all enjoy this chapter, especially a little tidbit in the middle. Thank you **Jennku** for reviewing. I do enjoy reviews ever so much so please, everyone, review! Remeber, I do not own Naruto, just my OC, Ayumi.

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><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

Dark clouds formed overhead before sunrise, so that when the sun rose, it couldn't been seen, providing no light to an already darkening world. It seemed as if the very heavens was morning the loss of the Hokage in the world below. Slowly, the shinobi made their way to the funeral on the top of the building where the Hokage's office was located while the citizens and ANBU members stood below. All were clad in black today and all with heavy hearts.

Ayumi lightly clutched the white carnation in her right hand as she stood in a simple black dress with three-quarters length sleeves. She, like most, was hoping that this was all just a bad dream and she would wake up soon. But she, like most, knew that this was real. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, having worn it out of her typical braid today and looked at Konohamaru as his sobs reached her ears, but she smiled softly as Iruka bent down to comfort him. She turned her head and looked at Asuma and Kurenai. She searched Asuma's face for any sign of how he was handling his father's death, but he lived up to the shinobi rule of showing no emotions well, for she couldn't discern a thing. A familiar voice reached her ears and she turned her head as a certain blonde spoke.

"Hey, Ayumi-san. Where's Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked quietly.

She looked at him and sighed, "He should be along soon. He had to do something this morning."

* * *

><p>Kakashi stared solemnly at the memorial stone and sighed. Despite everything, he couldn't be help being reminded of his past and he felt obligated to come here today. He heard soft footsteps approach and he recognized Yugao's chakra nearing. She stood beside him before laying a large bouquet of flowers in front of the stone and began to pray silently.<p>

"Are those for Hayate?….You should make it quick…I'm sure the Hokage's funeral has already begun…" He stated flatly.

Yugao stood and looked at the former ANBU captain, "And you Kakashi? Here to honor Obito? Instead of constantly being late and having to invent excuses, why not come here earlier?"

He sighed, "I did. I've been here since dawn. This place…and events of late…makes me think of the mistakes I've made…and…Kami…I've made so many of them…"

Kakashi blinked as he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked at Yugao who was smiling softly at him, "But now, you have Ayumi. I can see she's helping you heal."

The masked man returned her soft smile, "Yes. You're right."

* * *

><p>Rain began to fall as the funeral proceedings began and the sadness that filled the hearts of those of the village just grew even more. Upon her return to her position after placing the carnation before Sarutobi-sama's picture, she smiled as she felt a presence next to her. Ayumi reached down and grasped Kakashi's hand before whispering:<p>

"You're late."

"I'm sorry. But I had to visit Obito….that's why I wasn't there this morning when you woke up," he replied quietly.

She shook her head, "It's alright. Everyone is thinking of those they have lost today."

"Iruka-sensei?" Naruto questioned, "Why do they do it? Why do people risk their lives to save other people?"

Ayumi looked to Iruka and Naruto. Kakashi turned his head also.

_'I can think of one reason…' _Ayumi thought, squeezing Kakashi's hand gently before listening to Iruka's response.

"When someone passes away, it is the end of everything. Their past, their future, and all the dreams they had dies with them. And this is true even if they die honorably, as so many did and will do. All the ties that bind them to this world…to the living…are destroyed. All but one: people. Parents, siblings, lovers, all those that were important to them. And these people, those that are left behind, are joined by their shared memories of them in a great circle that grows stronger as time passes, though it may shrink. And we must remain in this circle…because….well, it's hard to explain it," Iruka sighed.

"They do it because they have to…I get it…sort of," Naruto paused, "Still…I'm sad he's gone…"

"We all are, Naruto," Ayumi said quietly.

"Think how sad it would be if he died for nothing…but, he left us something priceless. You'll understand one of these days," Kakashi stated while looking at Naruto.

"Kakashi.." Ayumi said with a nudge.

"Yeah sensei. Gimme some credit," Naruto replied as the rain stopped.

* * *

><p>Once the funeral was over, the shinobi slowly began to leave. Ayumi, Kakashi, and Iruka walked together and looked over the genin that were walking several yards in front of them.<p>

"They have bright futures ahead of them…they're all very talented…" Ayumi stated absentmindedly.

Kakashi scoffed a bit, "The new generation always surpasses the previous one. If they weren't talented, I'd be worried."

The three of them chuckled before hearing Naruto's voice call out to them:

"Hey guys! Wanna join us for Korean Barbeque?"

Iruka smiled, "No thanks, Naruto! But I'll take you to get some ramen sometime though!" He turned to Ayumi and Kakashi, "See you two later, I'm fairly tired."

When Iruka left, Ayumi and Kakashi caught up with team seven and joined them for lunch.

* * *

><p>"So there I was bolting down the street from the Sarutobi-sama who I had just dumped blue paint on and, out of nowhere, a fruit cart rolls into my way, so I spun to avoid it and guess who I bump into?" Ayumi asked team seven, who, out of the three, she appeared to only be entertaining Naruto and Sakura.<p>

"Who?" Naruto nearly shouted.

"Me," Kakashi replied.

Naruto burst out in laughter while Sakura chuckled quietly.

"Of course, I was covered in blue paint from setting up the prank and getting splashed when I watched Sarutobi-sama getting drenched. So, when I hit Kakashi, paint got on him too. Sarutobi-sama thought he was in on it as well! We both were punished pretty hard." Ayumi stated, laughing.

"What did you two have to do?" Sakura asked.

"Clean Hokage Mountain…do you know how many birds nest up there?" Kakashi stated before sipping his tea.

"Oh man, that sucks," Naruto added, speaking from experience.

Ayumi smiled, "No, not really. After we finished, Sarutobi felt like he reprimanded us too harshly so he took us out for a late dinner."

"That was nice," Sakura added.

Kakashi nodded in agreement.

"So! What stories do you guys have?" Ayumi asked.

And so, for several hours, Team Seven shared memories they had about Sarutobi. However, they were finally asked to leave so that the restaurant could set up for the dinner shift, but before they parted ways, Kakashi pulled Sasuke aside.

"Meet me in front of the dango sweet shop by the river at eleven. I need to talk to you about a new training regimen."

Sasuke nodded, "Whatever, Kakashi."

As they watched Sasuke head off, Ayumi stated:

"Rude one, isn't he?"

"Yep. What can you do?"

* * *

><p>That night at the apartment, Ayumi sighed as she sat down on the couch next to Kakashi. She was dressed in typical lounge wear: black sweat pants and a dark purple tank top; while Kakashi seemed to be ready for battle at any moment by wearing black cargo pants and a long sleeved, loose fitting black shirt and, of course, his mask.<p>

The kunoichi snuggled closer to him and he smiled and closed the book he was reading, having just finished it before setting it aside and wrapping his arms around her.

"The academy is going to open as originally planned tomorrow….So, I'll have to work," Ayumi said dejectedly.

"I thought you were returning to active duty after the exams," Kakashi replied.

She looked up at him, "Sarutobi-sama never made it official. So, I'm going to go to work as planned and see…for all I know, I may be stuck there until they appoint a new Hokage."

Kakashi nodded, contemplating a response before speaking, "Well, that'll be alright I guess. It's decent pay and steady since missions are intermittent."

"I agree, but I'd much rather be on missions," Ayumi replied.

The masked man chuckled, "Don't worry. It'll be soon enough since our numbers are down. Besides, with Jiraiya-sama back in the village, they'll most likely make him Hokage."

Ayumi shook her head, "He won't take the job. He just doesn't seem like the type. They'll most definitely ask him though."

Kakashi shrugged, "We'll just have to see. Anyway, would you like to meet up for lunch tomorrow?"

Ayumi smiled, "That'll be nice, especially since I'm done by eleven now that I don't have to work afternoons."

"Then 11:30 at the sweet shop? After the meeting I scheduled with Sasuke?" Kakashi questioned.

"…Sure…but you hate sweets…" Ayumi responded confused.

"I didn't say we were going to eat at the sweet shop. There's a place across the street that serves wonderful miso soup with eggplant."

Ayumi laughed and pushed him playfully, "Oh, Kakashi. You're so silly."

"I don't see how that constitutes being silly," he replied flatly.

She laughed again and rolled her eyes before kissing him softly on the cheek, "I'll just meet you at the sweet shop."

Ayumi stood after several moments of silent cuddling, rubbing her back a bit, "I'm going to go lie down then go to sleep; I'm still very sore."

Kakashi watched her as she left and he couldn't help but smile to himself.


	13. Unexpected Visitors

Hello everyone! Here is the next installment of Redemption! Lots of good stuff in this chapter, one of my favorites to write actually. Thank you to** Jennku**, **aniwolfgirl**, and **bestfriend1245** for reviewing! Reviews always make me smile and help me improve, so please, review! Remember, I don't own Naruto or it's characters, just my own. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

"Goodbye Somatsu! I'll see you tomorrow!" Ayumi smiled and waved to the little preschooler as he ran to his mother.

She rose out of her crouch and stretched a bit, dusting dirt and glitter off of her flak jacket, black shorts, and dark purple shirt with three-quarters length sleeves before checking the time. Her eyes widened when she realized she only had five minutes to get to the other side of the village to meet Kakashi at the sweet shop. She took off in a quick jog, hoping not to be late.

_'Well, he's typically late…' _She thought to herself.

* * *

><p>"So, I want you to continue working with the chidori and the day after tomorrow we'll begin training more with your speed and the force of your attacks. If you have any problems, come find me," Kakashi stated while look at his student.<p>

"Sure, Kakashi. Is that all?" Sasuke asked dully.

The copy nin nodded and watched his student leave before checking his watch. He noticed that he had five more minutes before he had to meet with Ayumi. Feeling like he had enough time, he decided to see how Kurenai and Asuma were handling the two cloaked figures he asked them to investigate. Upon locating their chakra, he headed in their direction.

_'I hope I am wrong…but one of them seemed to be Itachi Uchiha…It would make sense though since they were dressed in Akatsuki cloaks…and one was wearing a scratched through leaf headband…if I am right…Kurenai and Asuma won't be able to handle it..' _

He masked his chakra signature and landed in the tree line above the battle that was occurring below. He frowned as Kurenai was thrown into the river by Itachi Uchiha; his worst fears be recognized. When the Uchiha appeared behind Kurenai, Kakashi decided to step in, leaving a clone to intervene in the battle between Asuma and Kisame.

"You live up to your reputation…however…" The elder Uchiha began.

"However, this is the end of the line…for you anyway," Kakashi stated, interrupting Itachi's sentence as he placed a kunai against the younger man's neck.

"Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but why are you here?" Asuma questioned.

"Well, you know…I asked you two to take care of this…but I guess I was worried…" the shadow clone replied.

Itachi turned his head slightly to glance at the man behind him, "Kakashi…Hatake…"

* * *

><p>Ayumi panted lightly as she finally arrived at the sweet shop and looked around before sighing as Kakashi was nowhere to be found. She looked at a clock in a nearby store and saw that it was 11:42. She was late, but so was he; at least <em>she<em> was at the sweet shop. However, an uneasy feeling descended upon her as she stood outside the small building.

Finally, she decided to ask if the owner had seen Kakashi and she poked her head inside the shop.

"Excuse me, but-"

"Welcome! Would you be interested in our special dango of the day?" The owner enthusiastically questioned.

Ayumi sighed, "No, thank you. I was wondering if, by chance, you've seen Kakashi Hatake."

"Ahh! Yes I did! He was conversing with Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi outside of my shop earlier, but left to have a word with that Uchiha boy."

She nodded, "Well, did you notice anything else by chance? I was supposed to meet him here."

The owner paused and rubbed his chin slightly, "Hmm…well, there were these two strangely dressed men here earlier…Kakashi-san seemed to take interest in them…"

"Strangely dressed? How so?" Ayumi questioned, very curious and very worried.

"They were both wearing black cloaks with red clouds on them. I've never seen anything like it before in my life," the man replied as he went back to making dango.

Ayumi thanked him before standing outside the shop, tapping her foot and beginning to grow very nervous. She hoped it was nothing, but it seemed like it was bad, very bad indeed.

* * *

><p>"My way is more efficient than Kisame's," Itachi replied as his right hand quickly dropped from inside his cloak with three shuriken in it.<p>

Kakashi's eye widened and leapt back, flashing through hand signs as a cylinder of water formed around him, protecting him from Itachi's well cast jutsu.

_'The speed of his jutsu, incredible! I didn't even see a hand-sign. The shuriken were just a ruse to distract me from his attack.' _Kakashi thought to himself.

"You're good. You almost anticipated my moves," Itachi stated before suddenly disappearing and reappearing behind Kakashi, simultaneously stabbing Kakashi in the back, "**Almost.**"

The image of Kakashi melted away, being a mere water clone as he appeared in the water beneath Kurenai.

"Way to go, Kakashi!" Kurenai exclaimed as she took the kunai from his hand.

However, before Kurenai could leap to attack Itachi, Kakashi leapt up from the water and pushed her back.

"Get back, Kurenai! That's a clone!" He shouted; his point being emphasized as the clone exploded violently.

To aide them in the fight, Asuma jumped off the bring and landed next to the two of them as the three of the faced the two Akatsuki members standing before them, "Hey! Are you two alright?"

In between heavy pants, Kakashi replied, "Yeah…but stay on your toes…This guy was appointed chief of ANBU black ops when he was only thirteen."

Asuma scoffed, "Alright, okay? This guy is tough."

"Ha, tough? That's an understatement. You have yet to see have of what he's capable of," Kakashi replied.

"For someone who is not of the Uchiha clan, you have mastered our sharingan well," Itachi began dryly, "however, not being one of us, you lack our physical strength. That is something you can never replicate."

Kakashi frowned, _'He's right…my body doesn't have the stamina that's necessary…'_

Itachi smirked, "I'll show you what the sharingan can do in the hands of a true wielder of the bloodline."

Kakashi's eyes widened as panic filled his voice, "Close your eyes, both of you! Don't look at him! Listen, what ever happens, what ever you hear **don't** look. If you meet his gaze, well...I'll just have to do this own my own, sharingan vs sharingan..."

Kakashi closed his true eye and met Itachi's blood red stare with his own.

"Indeed, your abilities are impressive," Itachi stated coolly, "they might even be enough to resist the Mangekyo Sharingan…but, there is something you can't defend against…A special sharingan jutsu entitled _Tsukiyomi. _Only someone with the sharingan **and **kekki genkai can defeat me."

_'Sasuke…'_ Kakashi thought before his breath hitched as he fell victim to Itachi's jutsu.

* * *

><p>By now, Ayumi's simple foot tapping had turned into frantic pacing. She glanced at the clock again and realized now that it had been thirty-five minutes since she had arrived at the sweet shop and realized Kakashi wasn't there. She was firmly convinced that something was wrong since he had not shown up with some short of clever excuse.<p>

She heard someone running towards her and looked up to find Might Gai heading straight towards her. Suddenly, he ran right past her, but he stopped when Ayumi called out to him:

"Gai! Gai, wait! What's wrong?"

The man turned and sighed, "Ayumi! It's you! Just the person I need. Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi are battling to cloaked intruders. One of whom is most likely Itachi Uchiha. We have to get there."

Ayumi's eyes widened as she nearly shouted, "Obviously! Lead the way!"

* * *

><p><em>'I have to beat this…for Ayumi…I must beat this…' <em>Kakashi thought to himself as several katanas pierced his body.

Itachi smirked at the legendary copy nin bound to the wooden plank before him as he stabbed him again along with the other copies of himself and as they stabbed the other copies of Kakashi to maximize his pain, "Only 71 hours, 59 minutes…and 59 **seconds**…to go…"

_'W-What? Only a single second has passed?...I swear…I won't give up…I won't give up, Ayumi…you didn't give up on me…I just have to focus on her…'_

Kakashi fell to his knees outside of the world of Tsukiyomi and panted heavily.

"Kakashi! What is it? Can we open our eyes now?" Kurenai asked.

The man shook his head, "No…not yet…"

"What happened? Once second Itachi's talking and the next you hit the water!" Asuma demanded.

_'Three days in that world…less than a moment in this one…why not just kill me…he could,' _Kakashi thought as he rose up to one knee.

Kisame smirked, "After all that, the fool's spirit is still intact…must have something to fight for and worthwhile…Itachi, you've risked overusing those precious eyes of yours….You know how dangerous that is."

Itachi remains silent as Kisame spoke before quirking an eyebrow as Kakashi asked:

"What you're come for…is it Sasuke?"

Itachi scoffed, "No…the legacy of the Fourth Hokage."

"What's he talking about, Kakashi?" Kurenai questioned.

Kakashi's eye widened slightly, "You're after the nine-tailed fox inside Naruto…And there's more of you, isn't there? Seven more of these so-called Akatsuki members…in fact. You're all searching…hunting…am I right?"

Itachi smirked, "Kisame, we'll be taking Kakashi with us. He knows too much. Get rid of the others."

"Finally!" Kisame exclaimed as he rushes forward. Suddenly, a voice cried out:

"Severe Leaf Hurricane!" Gai exclaimed as he kicked Kisame back.

"Water Style: Water Wave Jutsu!" Ayumi cried out, sending the wave towards Itachi Uchiha, who merely sent a retaliatory wave to intercept and dissipate the one created.

Ayumi and Gai landed in front of Asuma, Kurenai, and Kakashi, stepping into defensive poses while looking back at their fellow ninja.

"Well, who do we have here now?" Kisame questioned, examining the two.

Gai spoke first turning his attention forward, "I'm Might Gai! The Leaf Village's Fiercest and Most Handsome Beast of Battle!"

"Might Gai? Mighty Stupid-Looking guy if you ask me. And you, chick-a-dee, what's with the scars, eh? Lose a fight with a weed eater?" Kisame asked, barely restraining laughter.

Ayumi's eyes narrowed as she looked at Kisame, "Ayumi Osoi, fish-face."

Itachi placed a hand over Kisame's chest to hold him back, "Don't underestimate them, Kisame….He's a reported taijutsu master…and she has a talent for earth jutsu…or at least this village believes so…"

"Eh? How do you know them, Itachi?"

"I used to live here, you idiot," He grumbled out, "So yes and I, at least, encountered the girl during my ANBU days…personally she was nothing special in my eyes…"

Gai frowned, listening to their exchange as he pulled Kakashi out of the river as he began to sink, "Oh, what they must've put him through…"

The lavender-haired kunoichi look down at Kakashi, _'Kakashi…'_ "You'll pay for what you're done to him! I'll show you how much stronger I've become, Itachi, since you think so little of me!"

"Ayumi! Don't look at Itachi! You too, Gai. You'll get caught in his jutsu," Asuma stated.

Gai smirked, "Relax. I know what I'm doing. I've devoted hours in training to be able to fight Kakashi. I know everything about the Sharingan. Go ahead and open your eyes."

"But, if we…" Kurenai began.

Gai scoffed, "Just watch his feet. The key to battling an opponent with the sharingan is to watch his feet. By doing that, you can anticipate his actions."

"Alright, but that sounds easier said than done," Asuma stated as he opened his eyes.

"We haven't had your training, Gai," Kurenai replied.

"True, it is a skill you have to master, and I don't have time to teach you. Just do your best," the spandex clad man replied.

"What do we need to do?" Ayumi questioned, looking at him.

Gai carefully handed Kakashi to Ayumi who supported him with the help of Kurenai as Gai spoke, "You two get Kakashi to the hospital. I've already sent word to the ANBU Black Ops so, until they get here, Asuma and I will hold these two off."

Kisame smirked, "You've got guts."

In a firm voice, Itachi commanded, "No, Kisame. We're leaving. We're not here to fight a full battle and, as tempting as it may be, it's not the best way to do this. Let's go."

"That's too bad…I was just having fun. You guys don't know how lucky you are!" Kisame shouted before the two Akatsuki members vanished.

Once they were gone, Ayumi looked at Kakashi with tears in her eyes before they all helped take Kakashi to the hospital.


	14. Together, but Apart

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far, and I hope you enjoy Chapter 14 even more! Thank you **bestfriend1245**,** jennku**, **aniwolfgirl**, and new-reviewer **yyh-ygo-fma** for reviewing! Remember all my silent readers out there, I love reviews so please, leave them! It's the only way I can get better! Remember, I do not own Naruto or it's characters, just my own. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

Iruka clutched the small, round vase of pink lotus flowers in his hands gently as he walked down the hallway of the hospital towards Kakashi's room. They weren't for the man, of course, but for Ayumi, who, he had heard, was very worried and not taking this well. He stopped outside of Kakashi's room when he saw Naruto and Jiraiya inside speaking with Ayumi while Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai waited outside.

"Don't worry, Ayumi-san! We're going to bring back someone who can help get Kakashi-sensei out of his coma: Lady Tsunade!" Naruto exclaimed while smiling brightly.

Jiraiya's eye twitched before he smacked the back of Naruto's head, "You little numb-skull! This is supposed to be a classified mission!" He looked at Ayumi and smiled softly, "But he is right. We've been tasked with bringing Tsunade back to the village. When she does return, Kakashi will be just fine."

Ayumi smiled and bowed slightly in Jiraiya's direction, "Thank you, Jiraiya-sama. Although I am nearly certain this has something to do with the open Hokage position, it comforts me to know that his is also a concern."

Deciding to step into the room, Iruka cleared his throat and stated, "Well, being one of the most valuable shinobi in the village, I would hope so."

The three of them turned their heads in Iruka's direction and Jiraiya groaned loudly while muttering, "Great. Yet another person knows thanks to Naruto's big mouth."

Iruka chuckled softly, "Don't worry, Jiraiya-sama. Your secret is safe with me."

The member of the Sannin thanked Iruka before pulling Naruto out of the room to depart on a mission they were already late in starting and before he had a chance to reveal their mission to anyone else. Once they had left, Iruka walking over to Ayumi in Kakashi's room and set the flowers on a nearby table.

Ayumi smiled, "They're beautiful, Iruka, and my favorite. Thank you."

Iruka shrugged before hugging Ayumi, "It's nothing, I just happened to remember. So, how are you holding up?"

She hugged him back before sitting down in a chair next to Kakashi's bed, with Iruka sitting on the windowsill next to her, "It's only been an hour, Iruka."

"It only takes but a few seconds to see someone you care about in pain to begin feeling the same way," Iruka replied.

Ayumi reached forward and gripped Kakashi's hand, speaking with a shuddering breath, "I-I know…"

They sat in silence for a few moments before Iruka chuckled and asked, "Why does he still have that mask on?"

The kunoichi chuckled as well, "Because he would be furious if all of Konoha knew the secret of his face when he woke up."

Iruka gave a hearty laugh and replied, "Yes, yes he would...How long do they expect him to stay like this?"

She sighed, "Well…they didn't say…we're all just waiting on the doctor right now…"

"Ahh, well…that's frustrating."

"Tell me about it…" Ayumi replied, "Iruka…I don't know how long I can last if he stayed this way much longer…"

Iruka sighed before wrapping an arm around her, "It'll be alright, Ayumi. In the time I've known him, I have never known Naruto to break a promise. Now, since I have a feeling that you'll be staying here until Kakashi is released, would you like me to go and get you some clothes? Maybe some food and a book or two to entertain yourself as well?"

Ayumi smiled, "Yes, I would like that very much."

However, before Iruka could leave, a doctor entered Kakashi's room and began to review his chart. While Ayumi waited for word, she held one of Iruka's hands and one of Kakashi's hands, squeezing both of them tightly. Finally, the doctor placed the chart back down and stated:

"He will most likely be in a coma for a few days…if not longer…you could take him back to his apartment, if you'd like. I'm sure both of you would be more comfortable there."

She nodded a bit, "Alright then, I guess."

The doctor nodded and left, motioning for the three jonin outside to enter after explaining to them they would have to help Kakashi back to his home.

Iruka sighed and rubbed her back gently, "It will be alright, Ayumi. Trust me."

Ayumi nodded, never taking her eyes off Kakashi, "Okay…and Iruka? Thank you for being such an amazing friend," she looked up and at the other three, "Thank you all for being such amazing friends."

Iruka smiled before all of them helped to get Kakashi back to his apartment and settled in.

* * *

><p>Ayumi sat beside Kakashi's bed, holding his hand tightly as she listened to Asuma, Gai, and Kurenai's conversation. Iruka having left shortly after arriving since he was needed back at the academy to finish grading tests.<p>

"But why come back now? Why would Itachi come back now?" Asuma questioned, adjusting in his sitting position on Kakashi's desk.

"And why come after the nine-tails?" Kurenai added, stopping her pacing to lean against a wall.

The lavender-haired kunoichi looked up, "Kakashi said something about the Akatsuki…apparently they're hunting all of the tailed beasts…to collect them for some greater, unknown end."

Asuma nodded, "Kakashi did mention something about searching and hunting during the battle…"

Suddenly, a knock was heard on the apartment door before footsteps were heard down the hallway towards Kakashi's room.

"Shh!" Gai commanded, bringing all of their attention to the shut bedroom door, as he rose slightly from the chair he was sitting in.

"Kakashi!" Sasuke called, as he opened the door, it banging against the wall, and stepped into the room.

All eyes locked on him and he blinked as he looked at all the jonin in the room before looking at Kakashi on the bed.

"What happened to Kakashi? And what are all of you jonin doing in here?" He demanded.

"Sasuke-" Ayumi began, before Aoba burst in and shouted:

"Is it true that Itachi Uchiha was back in the village and that he's after Naruto?"

The jonin stared in shock and disgust at Aoba as Sasuke's eyes widened before he fled out of the room to find Naruto and, of course, Itachi. Ayumi smacked her free hand to her forehead while Kurenai sighed and stated:

"Idiot," directed at Aoba, obviously.

Asuma stood and excused himself before strong-arming Aoba out of Kakashi's apartment to have a word with him about bursting into people's places of residence and shouting out information that doesn't need to be broadcast in such a fashion. Kurenai also followed to give Aoba a piece of her mind as well. Finally, Gai stood and stated:

"I should probably follow after Sasuke. I have a feeling that battle isn't going to go well."

Ayumi nodded, "I agree, that would be best."

She sighed as Gai left before looking at Kakashi, she released his hand and tucked it back under the covers before looking up at him and speaking softly to him while caressing his cheek:

"You have to wake up, Kakashi…The village needs you…Your students need you….I…I need you…."

She sat beside Kakashi for a few more minutes, fighting back tears, before her stomach rumbled loudly. Unwillingly, she left Kakashi's side and ate a quick dinner before changing into a more comfortable outfit of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Upon changing, she grabbed a scroll or two to read, a kunai for self-defense, and pulled a blanket and a pillow off of her bed before making herself a comfortable, makeshift bed in a chair next to Kakashi and, once settled, began reading one of the scrolls she grabbed until she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Ayumi was curled up in the chair next to Kakashi's bed, half-asleep, when Asuma and Kurenai arrived. It had been four days since Naruto departed and since they had seen her. Her had was messy, having half fallen out of the bun she'd twisted it in and she was dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a black sweatshirt with dark circles under her eyes. They noticed that while her right had was propping up her head, her left had was clutching at a kunai, her attempt to stay ready to attack any intruders.<p>

Kurenai leaned closer to Asuma and whispered, "Should we wake her, Asuma?"

The man nodded, "She'll want to know….you do it."

Kurenai blinked at her lover before rolling her eyes and speaking, "Ayumi?"

The lavender-haired kunoichi jumped up, her eyes half-lidded and held the kunai before her, blinking several times to clear her vision before laughing, "Oh, Asuma and Kurenai. Just you two….you nearly scared me half to death."

Asuma shook his head, "You know, if you've taken to guarding him with a kunai, you're taking this way too seriously."

Kurenai jabbed her elbow into his side before looking at Ayumi, "So, how have you been?"

The younger woman shrugged and straightened her clothes, "Alright, I guess. I have to do something to keep myself occupied since I'm terrified to leave his side in case something changes. But, I have noticed I'm not getting the sleep I need…So, if I look as bad as I feel….I must look like death…"

"Not like death per say.." Asuma began before getting another elbow to the ribs.

Ayumi chuckled a bit before looking at them, "So, what brings you two by?"

Asuma smiles, "Well, I can finally say something that won't result in me being injured. We received word that Jiraiya-sama and Naruto are heading home…with Tsunade-sama. They should be back in the village by tomorrow morning."

The young kunoichi blinked before cheering loudly and hugging Asuma and Kurenai tightly, "That's wonderful! I can't believe it!"

She released Asuma and Kurenai and smiled at them before catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, "Oh Kami…I look worse than death…"

All three of them began to laugh.

* * *

><p>That night, Iruka stopped by the apartment after leaving the academy very late after the genin graduation ceremony. He knocked on the apartment door and was surprised to see Ayumi answer it with her hair wrapped in a towel, a smile on her face.<p>

"So, if you're answering the door now, I take it you heard?" He asked, stepping inside.

Ayumi smiled and shut the door behind him, "Yes. You were right, Iruka. Naruto kept his word, like you said he would."

The kunoichi went in to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, offering Iruka some who politely turned it down.

"Alright then, Iruka," Ayumi stated before leaning against the counter, "Hey…would you mind telling me something?"

Iruka's eyebrow quirked, "If I can, yes."

* * *

><p>She nodded, taking a sip of water before asking, "What was Kakashi like…after I was captured?"<p>

Iruka walked into the kitchen and sat down in a chair, "Well, after he quit ANBU, no one saw much of him for several months. He trained outside of the village a lot and avoided most everyone. Then, suddenly, he just began socializing again and taking missions. Anyone who looked long enough could see it was an act…or it just seemed to be an act….It makes me wonder if he didn't have feelings for you…"

Ayumi laughed softly, "He did…He just didn't realize what they were at the time….A few days ago he confessed this all to me."

Iruka smiled, "I thought that's what happened since I saw your stuff moved in here and how you two have been acting lately."

She blushed, "Sorry I didn't tell you…is it that obvious?"

The man nodded and she blushed even more before speaking, "Oh, by the way, I wanted to thank you for getting me out of work to take care of Kakashi…and since we're getting a new Hokage soon, thanks again for helping me to get that temporary job."

Iruka smiled and responded, "It was nothing, Ayumi. I was just glad to be of some help. Those little kids are going to miss you though," He stood, "Well, I just wanted to drop by for a minute to see if you had heard."

Ayumi smiled and hugged him gently before leading him to the door, "Thank you, Iruka, it was nice to see you."

She smiled after he left before she shut the door and took her hair out of the towel. She went into the bathroom and brushed her hair then her teeth. After, she walked into her room and dressed in a pair of pajamas before going back into Kakashi's room to grab her pillow and blanket, deciding to sleep in her own bed. However, she paused as she looked at Kakashi before laying beside him, covering up with her own blanket and as she snuggled close to him, she whispered:

"We'll be together again tomorrow, Kakashi…I love you so much…"


	15. Awakening

Hello everyone! Here is Chapter 15! Full of Kakashi-Ayumi-goodness! Thank you to** jennku**, **yyh-ygo-fma**, and (new-reviewer) **Nick** for reviewing! Remember all my readers, I love reviews so, keep it up! Remember, I don't own Naruto or the characters, just Ayumi. Now, enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

Ayumi sighed softly as she sat in the living room of the apartment. She had received word that Tsunade had arrived in the village early that morning and, upon meeting with the elders, would be by to wake Kakashi from the coma. She was dressed in her new ninja attire minus her armor and headband. The outfit, however, exposed her scars leaving her feeling a self-conscious, but she was reminded of Kakashi's words that they're a sign of her ability to survive extreme torture.

A soft knock on the door drew her out of her thoughts and, before she could stand and answer it, Naruto broke through the lock and then the door and, upon seeing Ayumi, grinned:

"See, Ayumi-san! I told you!"

She hid her frustrations over the broken door while forcing a smile and stood, "Yes, you did. Thank you."

When Tsunade entered the room, Ayumi bowed deeply only to have Tsunade order:

"Oh, stop with all that and take me to Kakashi."

The kunoichi quickly nodded and led her back to his bedroom. Tsunade quickly moved to Kakashi's bedside and hovered a chakra-covered hand over his forehead. After a few moments, she removed her hand and Kakashi opened his non-sharingan eye with a slight groan. Ayumi smiled and moved past Tsunade and hugged Kakashi tightly.

"Ayumi…not…so hard…" He groaned out.

The kunoichi blushed and released him before sitting next to him on the bed. She looked up at the slug queen and said:

"Thank you…Thank you so very much, Tsunade-sama."

"Yes, thank you Tsunade-sama," Kakashi agreed before trying to sit up, but failing with a groan as he fell back on the bed.

"Now, if you two will excuse me. I here there's a young man that is in desperate need of medical attention," Tsunade stated.

Ayumi looked at her and nodded, "Of course, Tsunade-sama. Thank you, again."

As Tsunade left, Ayumi retrieved some pillows from a nearby closet and began positioning them behind Kakashi so he could sit up in the bed. For some reason that Ayumi couldn't fathom, Naruto was still in their apartment.

"Kakashi-sensei! You'll never believe all of the things I did! Jiraiya-sensei taught me this thing called the Rasengan and there was the huge battle! And-" Naruto began rambling as Ayumi tended to Kakashi.

There was a small knock on the doorframe of the bedroom and Ayumi looked up and smiled as Iruka stepped inside:

"The door was off the hinges and grew worried."

Kakashi quickly looked at Ayumi, "What happened to the door?"

She gave a strained grin and tried to hide the malice in her voice, "Naruto did."

Kakashi groaned and glared at Naruto, who was still talking. Finally, Iruka placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and said:

"Naruto, I think Kakashi-san needs to rest. You can tell him all this later. But how about that ramen I promised you, huh? You can tell me everything instead."

Ayumi mouthed "thank you" to Iruka as he led Naruto out of the room and the apartment. Before Ayumi did anything, she summoned two clones to go fix the door before sitting by Kakashi.

"How do you feel?" She asked softly.

He smiled back at her, "Sore…very sore…and I'm hungry...and strangely tired..."

"Then let me go fix you something."

"I don't need you to baby me, Ayumi," Kakashi replied.

She smiled at him, "I want to. Besides, you just woke up from a coma, you need to recover."

Kakashi laughed a bit, "Alright, but I'll be up and going tomorrow."

"Fine, but rest today. Now, I'll be right back." She stood and began to leave before Kakashi spoke.

"You got a new outfit…."

She blushed, "Yeah…what do you think? It shows my scars a lot…And I'm not wearing the armor for my arms…but I still have to….that hasn't changed…"

Kakashi shook his head, "You look wonderful. Are you going to wear your headband on your forehead now?"

She nodded, "Yes. And I think I'm going to cut my hair. It's a hassle being this long."

Kakashi pouted under his mask, "I like it long."

Ayumi blushed, "I'll consider that, now, let me go cook you something."

Kakashi smiled as she left the room and relaxed back against the pillows, glad that he had Ayumi to take care of him after all.

* * *

><p>Once Ayumi brought Kakashi a large bowl of miso soup with eggplant and a plate of yakisoba with beef on a tray with some hot tea, she laughed as he could barely pick up a fork.<p>

"Kakashi, do I need to feed you with my eyes closed?"

The man blushed, even visible through his mask, before replying, "You can feed me without your eyes closed."

Ayumi blinked, "You'd…You'd let me see you without your mask?"

Kakashi chuckled softly, "We're dating Ayumi, of course I'd let you see me. It'd be weird otherwise."

She nodded and set the tray of food aside before slowly taking off Kakashi's mask. She blinked a bit and caressed his cheek as she looked at his face.

"Kakashi…why do you wear the mask?" She asked, "You're very handsome."

The copy nin sighed, "I hide my face because I'm ashamed to look at the face of someone who's made so many mistakes…and I look like my father; that's what started it initially…But I shouldn't hide it from you...you're helping me heal…"

She smiled, "Thank you, Kakashi. Now, let's get you fed before your food gets cold."

Ayumi smiled as she fed him slowly, stopping occasionally to give him sips of tea or to wipe his mouth or chin. Finally, after around thirty minutes, he had finished all of his soup and three-fourths of the yakisoba. Ayumi told him she'd be right back before taking the tray into the kitchen and eating a quick bite of dinner herself. Upon returning to the room, she straightened and re-fluffed Kakashi's pillows.

Kakashi smiled at her tending before asking, "Can I get a change of clothes? I'd feel cleaner."

Ayumi laughed softly and nodded before getting him a new shirt, mask, and a pair of boxes. She returned to his bedside and helped him into the shirt and mask before looking away as he slipped on the new pair of boxers by himself. As she put the dirty clothes away, Kakashi asked:

"Would you sit by me for a moment, Ayumi?"

The young woman blinked before sitting next to him. She quirked an eyebrow as he lowered his mask and leaned forward before she gasped as he kissed her deeply. She smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him return while he held her gently, moving her lips just as softly against his as he was hers.

_'He's such a gentle kisser…I love it…'_

Suddenly, he pulled back and collapsed back on the pillows, panting a bit, "I'm feeling light headed."

She chuckled softly and gave a devilish grin, "That's because the kiss was so good."

Kakashi laughed as well before pausing and gripping her hand lightly as she stood to leave:

"And where are _you_ going?"

Ayumi looked at him and blinked, "To my room…to sleep…."

The man smiled and questioned, "Would you stay in here with me tonight?"

The kunoichi blushed before nodding. While Kakashi adjusted in his bed, Ayumi quickly went and changed into her pajamas before coming back into his room and crawling into bed beside him. He wrapped an arm around her and held her close against his firm body and she sighed contentedly.

"Kakashi? Can I ask for something when you're better?"

"Hm?" He replied, sleep already trying to claim him.

She sighed, "Can we go on a date? I mean…we haven't really had one…and since, right now, it seems like we have a chance…"

He smiled, "I'd love to, Ayumi."

She looked up at him and smiled back, "Good."

She leaned across him, turned out the light, pecked him on the lips before placing his mask back over his face, and curled back up beside him.

"Goodnight, Ayumi."

"Goodnight, Kakashi."

The two of them drifted into a sleep that was the most peaceful either of them had ever experienced.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Ayumi awoke to an empty spot in the bed next to her. She blinked and sat up quickly before she noticed a note on the nightstand next to the bed. She picked it up and began reading it:<p>

_Ayumi, I woke up this morning and visited Tsunade-sama's office. Though she is not officially the Hokage yet, I was sent on a short mission and will miss the ceremony. I should be back tomorrow. I'm so sorry and I love you dearly. See you soon. – Kakashi_

She sighed before getting up and getting dressed to head to the appointment ceremony and as she stood amongst the crowd and cheered as Tsunade was announced the Hokage, she couldn't help but feel a great sense of pride in her village.

As the crowd dissipated, an ANBU member approached her and stated that she was needed in the Hokage's office. She promptly made her way there and bowed when she entered. She smiled brightly and thanked Tsuande as she was placed on active mission duty once again.

"And by the way," Tsunade added after Ayumi turned to leave, "I'd like to look at your arm and see what I can do."

Ayumi thanked her and as she was leaving, she couldn't help but think that this was going to be a good day, despite Kakashi being away.


	16. A Date

Hello everyone! Here is Chapter 16, chock full of lemon-y goodness! So, this is your warning, **THERE IS A LEMON**! If you would like to skip it, it's in the middle. There is some key plots at the end however, so if you do skip it, skip to the end. I tried to do this lemon in a tasteful (no pun intended) way. So please, enjoy it. Thank you to **jennku** and **yyh-ygo-fma** for reviewing! I always love reading reviews, so keep them coming and review if you haven't! Remeber, I do not own Naruto or its characters, just Ayumi.

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><p><strong>Chapter 16<strong>

The restaurant Kakashi had picked for their date was absolutely beautiful. Dim lighting over paintings that depicted various scenes from mythology was just enough to illuminate the room on top of the candles placed on each table, with tan and green walls. They both thanked their server as he placed their food before them and Ayumi stated after she took a bite:

"Kakashi, this food is amazing!"

The man chuckled softly, "I knew you'd enjoy it. By the way, you look beautiful tonight."

Ayumi fidgeted in her seat and blushed heavily, "Thank you. You look very handsome yourself."

Kakashi faintly blushed as well, "Thank you."

Both had dressed up for the evening. Ayumi wore a dark purple dress that was knee length with ruffles on the shoulder-capped sleeves while Kakashi had actually worn a suit and, as always, his mask.

Over the course of dinner, they discussed various things: how Kakashi's mission went, if Ayumi missed the preschool, shared memories of pranks, their ANBU days, etc. Finally, after dessert, which Kakashi surprisingly partook of, the man paid for their dinner and they began walking down the street, hand in hand under the light of the moon.

"How are the treatments going at the hospital?" Kakashi asked.

Ayumi blinked, "I didn't know you knew about them."

The man chuckled, "Of course I would notice that my girlfriend's scars were slowly fading."

She smiled, "I'm glad you noticed…but they won't ever fully go away…but they can lessen the appearance of them. Except those on my back, they're afraid to touch them since they seem so deep and severe."

Kakashi looked at her, "Is that why you tense occasionally when we spar?"

She nodded, "Yes, they do cause the occasional pain."

He nodded before asking, "And are you going to take Tsunade up on her offer?"

Ayumi stopped and looked at him, "Okay, now how do you know about _that_?"

He smirked, "I have ears all over this village."

"No, really," Ayumi stated bluntly.

Kakashi chuckled, "Genma overheard and told me."

"That's…random, but I might. It would make me feel much better if she could heal the weakness in my left arm and I wouldn't have to wear my heavy armor anymore," Ayumi replied as they began walking again.

Kakashi nodded again before smirking, "You know, I just thought of someone, several in fact, that you haven't visited since you've returned."

Ayumi blinked and looked up at him, "Really? Who? I thought I made an effort to visit everyone by now…"

He smirked, "Follow me."

Puzzled, Ayumi had no choice but to follow him.

* * *

><p>"Kakashi…why are we at the training grounds?" Ayumi questioned, heavily confused and partially exasperated.<p>

"Just wait," Kakashi replied before flashing through hand signs and summoning his eight ninken.

Ayumi blinked before giving a muttering groan, "Oh no…"

Seven of the eight dogs immediately jumped on her, knocking her over, and began licking her face and barking cheerfully.

"See? They missed you," Kakashi stated while laughing.

Finally, when Ayumi was able to sit up and give attention to each one, the familiar voice of Pakkun reached her ears when he asked:

"Hey Kakashi, who's this, huh?"

Ayumi smirked and held out her hand to him and said, "Shake, Pakkun."

The dog immediately obliged before grinning the best he could as she began rubbing the pads of his paws.

"Only one other person aside from Kakashi would touch the softness…" He muttered dreamily before declaring, "Ayumi!"

With that, he jumped on her as well and began licking her face before beginning to tell her that he missed her and how sad Kakashi was and that he wouldn't touch his paws at all.

"Alright, Pakkun, that's enough," Kakashi said, blushing furiously.

Ayumi looked up at Kakashi and replied, "Now, Kakashi, he has every right to tell me this, and it's a shame that you would treat him this way."

Kakashi narrowed his eye playfully, "Don't encourage him."

She laughed before petting Pakkun again and standing. After she told them all goodbye, Kakashi sent them away. Ayumi looked down at her clothes and frowned before looking at the masked man:

"Next time, let me visit the dogs in something I **don't** mind getting dirty."

Kakashi chuckled, "I'll pay for the dry cleaning. Wanna head home?"

She nodded, "Yes, but thank you for letting me see them again."

He smiled, "Anytime."

* * *

><p>When they returned to their apartment, an awkward silence filled the air since neither one knew what to do next. Ayumi excused herself to change out of her now slobbery clothes and Kakashi, with a chuckle, allowed her to go; however, his heart ached and he knew what he longed to do. He caught up to Ayumi in a few strides, just before she reached the door to the room she only entered to retrieve clothing, and spun her around.<p>

"Kakashi, wha-"

Ayumi gasped as she felt his lips, without the mask, press against hers hard. It was a much different kiss from the one they shared before; this one was filled with longing and desire. She couldn't deny it any longer that this is what she wanted and, wrapping her arms around Kakashi's neck, she told him she was ready. Kakashi scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom where he fully discarded his jacket, tie, headband and mask to the floor before kissing Ayumi deeply again while he began unzipping her dress. Ayumi blushed, but gave a light smirk as she reached forward and unbuttoned and unzipped Kakashi's pants before beginning to work his shirt up his body.

They momentarily broke the passionate dancing of tongues to finish undressing and, when their bodies met, they were clad in nothing. Ayumi turned an even darker shade of red as she felt Kakashi's hardening member press against her; sensing her embarrassment, Kakashi pulled back.

"Ayumi…if you're not ready for this…I understand…."

The young woman laughed softly, "I am…I'm just nervous, that's all…this…this is my first time…and you know how self-conscious I am…"

The copy-cat ninja raised an eyebrow, "But you and Iruka…are so close…"

Ayumi burst out in laughter and sat down on the bed, "Oh Kakashi, we've always been friends, he's like a brother."

The silver-haired man shook his head at his own foolishness before gently moving Ayumi up the bed and hovering over her, "And…you have nothing to worry about…you're very beautiful…"

To emphasize his point, Kakashi traced the swirled scar on her cheek, the unique scar that he loved, with his thumb. He leaned down and captured her lips in a gentle kiss while one hand reached down and began massaging her breast softly. He smiled as her body moved towards his while she gave a soft sigh, indicating she enjoyed the action greatly. His squeezes became firmer as he moved his head and began kissing over her neck so he could enjoy the mewls of pleasure he was extracting from her; he especially enjoyed making her breath hitch when he would give her nipple a light pinch.

"Ohh Kakashi…I…it's…"

He smirked, knowing what she meant. He sat up slightly and, while continuing his actions to one of her breasts, moved his other hand down to her womanhood. The rough fingers began rubbing the hardened nub that was her clit ever so gently, teasing her. He smiled as she writhed and moaned beneath him. He increased the pressure slightly and smiled as her hips began to lightly buck up against his hand while she rolled her head slowly from side to side, moaning. His own lust was driving him insane, the sight before him was almost too much for him to resist as his member throbbed hard but, he feared hurting Ayumi. Restraining himself, he gently slipped a finger into her entrance, smirking at how wet she already was.

"Oh! K-Kakashi…you're such a tease…"

Ayumi was losing her mind. Kakashi's talented, but gentle touch was sending waves of pleasure through her body. Him squeezing her breast while moving a finger firmly in and out of her felt incredible to her. She panted heavily as she looked up at him, moaning softly as his eye met hers. She saw the extreme lust and desire it held and reached up, caressing the muscular body above her. She suddenly felt her pleasure rising and building; this feeling was intensified when Kakashi slipped a second finger inside her and began striking them hard against her spot.

"K-Kakashi! I-I'm going to cum! I-I'm going to- …to-"

"Cum for me, Ayumi."

His voice was demanding, but soft and it sent her over the edge. She clenched tightly around his fingers while arching her back hard towards him and moaning loudly. Kakashi, moving his hand away from her breast, wrapped his arm around her and held her close as he kept his fingers buried deep inside her. Ayumi was trembling as she came down from her orgasm and smiled up at Kakashi, blushing heavily at the soft smirk he had on his face.

"I believe you're ready…"

"Oh really? Like my orgasm didn't give _that_ away."

They shared a small chuckle as Kakashi gently pulled his fingers from her warmth. He licked them clean, finding she had a sweet taste, and knew he'd always want more. He made sure Ayumi was comfortable as he moved in between her legs; he began guiding his member into her tight hole and paused when he felt resistance.

"Ayumi, this will hurt a bit, and I'm very sorry," Kakashi whispered soothingly into her ear before pushing deeper inside her.

The kunoichi gasped and wrapped her arms around Kakashi quickly, holding herself close to him and digging her nails into his back. This action caused Kakashi to immediately pause. He whispered reassuring words into her ear and when she relaxed, he slowly pushed the rest of the way into her.

"I…I can't believe it all fit, Kakashi….I-I admit I was n-nervous when we started…"

He chuckled and caressed her cheek softly, "As long as you relax, it does…tell me when you're ready."

Ayumi smiled and wrapped her right leg around his waist, "I'm ready."

The sharingan user smiled and began thrusting softly in and out of Ayumi. Her soft moans revealed her approval, encouraging him to increase the force and speed of his thrusts.

"Kakashi! Y-yes….Y-Yes….right there…there! Ohhh…."

He knew instantly what those words meant and he continued to angle his hard thrusts towards her spot.

"A-Ayumi…you're so tight…nnn…i-it's…it's so good."

It seemed to defy all rational thought, but his speed and force increased even more. This drove Ayumi over the edge as she began to cry out loudly:

"K-Kakashi! Ohh God yes! I-I'm-!"

Her body jerked hard as she arched up, pressing herself closer to Kakashi as her walls clenched even tighter around his hard member. He moaned loudly as he gave a few more hard thrusts into her before releasing deep inside of her:

"A-Ayumi!"

Loud pants filled the room as both rode out and came down from their orgasms, Kakashi slipped out of Ayumi and rested on the bed beside her, pulling her close to him. For several moments the two of them just lied there, but when Ayumi shivered, Kakashi shifted and pulled the covers over both of them. They began cuddling as the enjoyed each other's company.

"Ayumi…there's something I need to tell you…"

Confused, she met her lover's eyes, "Yes?"

The Copy Ninja sighed, "Tomorrow, I have to meet with Lady Tsunade at her request. I have a feeling it will be about a mission…and if I'm right…I don't know how long I'll be gone…"

Ayumi sat up quickly, her green eyes flashing in anger, "It's not fair, Kakashi! You just woke up from that coma and they already sent you away once …and now they're doing it again!"

Kakashi sighed and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close and gently pulling her back beside him, "I know, Ayumi, I know. It's not fair…but our numbers have been down since the invasion. Soon, you'll have to go on back-to-back missions too, and it can't be helped. But trust me, I will return to you as quickly as I can."

The purple-haired kunoichi nodded as she listened to his words, knowing in her heart what he said was true. She smiled and replied:

"After you get your mission, come visit me…I want to see you off and, you can tell me how long you'll be gone."

Her lover smiled, "Of course Ayumi, of course. And, since you're making a request of me, I have a request for you. Keep an eye on Sasuke while I'm gone, you understand why, don't you?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled, "Yes, I understand why," her voice became more serious, "but I can and I will."

Kakashi smiled and kissed her on her forehead then softly on the lips, "Now, shall we go to sleep?"

"Yes, yes we shall."

They held each other close while shutting their eyes, sleep beginning to swiftly descend upon them.

"Kakashi…I…love you…"

He smiled, "I love you too…Ayumi."

With that, the two shinobi fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.


	17. A Nightmare

Hello everyone! I'm so relieved that last chapter seemed to go over so well! Thank you to **yyh-ygo-fma**, **jennku**, **aniwolfgirl**, and **bestfriend1245** for reviewing! This chapter has a dream sequence that could be a spoiler for Shippuden if you do not follow the manga or japenese sub of the anime. If there is any confusion about it or if you want to know how it turns out, message me and I'll tell you. So, enjoy! Remember to review! And I don't own Naruto or its characters, just Ayumi.

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><p><strong> Chapter 17<strong>

Kakashi sighed as he stepped outside of the Hokage's office before walking outside and pausing to lean against the railing of the steps. His mission would take around four days, but if he rushed without being sloppy, it could be two or, hopefully, less. Deciding to go ahead and get an early start, he began heading towards his apartment to say goodbye to Ayumi. However, he felt two sources of chakra spike from the hospital roof nearby and quickly moved to investigate that instead.

He was shocked and appalled when he arrived to find Sasuke and Naruto fighting on the roof, not sparring, but in an all out fight. When Sasuke created a massive chidori and Naruto created a powerful rasengan as they charged at each other, Kakashi knew he had to intervene or else they would kill each other, especially since now Sakura was trying to stop them and her life was in danger. In a quick flash, he leapt down and grabbed both of their wrists before throwing them at the hospital water silos.

"Naruto! Sasuke! Stop this!" He shouted before looking at a very frightened Sakura and speaking softly, "You can go, Sakura. I'll take care of this from here."

Sakura nodded before quickly leaving. Naruto pulled his arm out of the water tank before quickly leaving as well, scoffing as Sasuke was still struggling to free his arm. Kakashi walked over and grabbed Sasuke's arm and leaned in.

"That was a very large chidori…larger than what you should be using on an ally…on a friend."

"Why do you care, huh? Why do you pretend to know anything about what I've been through?"" Sasuke shouted at him.

Kakashi freed Sasuke's arm before straightening up, "Anger isn't the path…Revenge isn't the path….it only leads to self destruction…"

"What do you know?" Sasuke spat out again before leaving quickly.

The masked man sighed, "I know more than you think…and understand more than you think…"

But those words fell on no ears, for Kakashi was now alone on the hospital roof. He shook his head while sighing and quickly left for his mission, already behind now…and his promise to Ayumi forgotten.

* * *

><p>Ayumi walked through the village at sunset. She spoke with Kotetsu and Izumo at the east gate and was informed that he had left a few hours ago for his mission. This news greatly saddened her and left her wondering why he forgot. Of course, this was Kakashi she was talking about, the king of being late, but she couldn't help feeling unsettled by him forgetting. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind, chalking it up to unnecessary worry as a familiar voice reached her ears.<p>

"Ayumi! Over here!"

She blinked and looked around before smiling and waving back at Iruka who was waving at her from a bar stool at Ichiraku ramen. She quickly jogged over and sat next to him, ordering a chicken ramen to go, before asking:

"What's up?"

Iruka smiled, "Not much. Just waiting for Naruto. He had a rough day, I thought he'd want to talk about it."

Ayumi blinked, "What happened?"

"Well, apparently, Sasuke challenged him to a duel on the hospital roof and it was interrupted by Kakashi. Naruto's pretty shook up and angry because of Sasuke trying to kill him and his strange behavior after losing his fight with Itachi," Iruka replied before sipping his water.

"So…that's what happened then…" Ayumi muttered.

Iruka blinked and looked at Ayumi, "Hm?"

Ayumi looked back at Iruka, "Kakashi got a mission today and he was supposed to stop by to see me before he left. I was wondering why he forgot, now I know."

Iruka nodded a bit, "Ahh. Yes, it would make sense."

When Naruto arrived, Ayumi said her goodbyes, paying for her ramen, before leaving and deciding to head home instead of walking around more and letting her food grow cold. However, as she walked towards her apartment, she noticed several figures standing on a building and one tied against a tree. Suspicious, Ayumi cautiously approached but, before she could identify who they were, they were gone, leaving Sasuke, who she later identified, behind standing on the tree branch. This worried her greatly about Sasuke before she continued on home, deciding to speak with him in the morning to keep her promise to Kakashi.

* * *

><p>As night fell while Kakashi travelled, he sighed as he missed Ayumi dearly before stopping and muttering to himself:<p>

"Idiot!"

He just remembered that he forgot his promise to her. Turning, he looked back towards the direction of the village before sighing and continuing on with his mission. He knew that if he headed back, it would only delay the mission further and the idea of them being apart any longer than necessary hurt him and he knew it would hurt Ayumi. However, he couldn't help berating himself as he continued forward.

'_I'll just have to find a way to make it up to her…that's all.'_

With this thought in mind, Kakashi focused more chakra to his feet and sped up in an effort to finish this mission even more quickly than he estimated, keeping his mind busy by thinking of ways to apologize to her.

* * *

><p><em>Ayumi kicked the large boulder at her target before groaning in frustration as he merely manipulated his body to send a missile that exploded the rock hurdling towards him and creating a large shield that also blocked her massive fire style attack that followed on the tail of the boulder.<em>

"_Shikaku! What do we need to do?" She called over the roar of battle. _

"_I'm working on it! This one is known as the Asura Path! And he's proving to be quite difficult!"_

_Ayumi spun out of the way of another missile attack before hearing the mangled cries of other shinobi as they failed to do so, all the while noticing that she wasn't wearing the armor on her arms and that her injured one felt stronger, "Tell me about it!"_

_Suddenly, the Asura Path turned and began heading towards another battle, and, despite Shikaku's protests, Ayumi leapt off after him, determined to defeat him to even Konoha's odds against their invaders. As she followed the manipulated body closely, she noticed a few things: her clothing was the same as her new outfit, minus the armor as she previously noticed; her gloves were armored fingerless and a dark green; and, upon catching a glimpse of herself in a passing window, noticed that her hair was cut short and pulled into a spikey ponytail with bangs framing her face over her headband._

_Her surroundings shifted rapidly, signaling to her that this was indeed a dream, and she was now in a decimated part of town, leaning against Choji and looking at Kakashi who was buried up to the chest in stone rubble. She had feared the worst when the Deva Path launched the nail at him, but was relieved to see that he was still alive._

"_Ayumi! Choji! Don't let Choza's death be for naught! Get the information you have about those two paths to Tsunade now!"_

"_But Kakashi-" Ayumi began._

"_NOW!" Kakashi cried._

_The two quickly obliged before turning and heading towards Tsunade's location with the help of Katsuyu, who had healed her wounds. As they both moved as fast as they could, Ayumi heard something shifting behind them and looked back to see the Asura path launch a missile at them.  
><em>

"_Choji! Watch ou-" Ayumi began to cry before gasping as the missile disappeared at the hand of Kakashi's kamui._

_She stopped in her tracks, pulling Choji with her before beginning to run towards Kakashi, despite lingering pain she felt from her wounds shooting through her body, as she felt the last of his chakra fade._

"_Kakashi! No!" She screamed out as she moved towards him, feeling time slow down severely as she ran towards her beloved._

_He smiled at her softly and whispered, "You…saved me….now I…saved…you…"_

_Her eyes widened as his head tilted back and he died before her eyes._

"_NO!" She shrieked while reaching for him._

* * *

><p>Ayumi jerked awake and sat up, panting heavily and sweating lightly. She quickly stood and went into the bathroom to splash water on her face and when she did, she looked into the mirror at herself.<p>

'_That dream….was different…It wasn't my past for sure…but felt like my future…And those cloaks…the Akatsuki…"_

She sighed heavily and dried her face off. She wondered if this would truly come to pass or if it was just the fruits of her overactive imagination. Ayumi also wondered if the invasion she saw in her dream had anything to do with the unknown goal of the Akatsuki they had in searching for the tailed beasts. Something told her that it most certainly was, for what better reason to attack Konoha than for the nine-tails? Her next thought was of how much time would pass before this came to pass, and she figure it had to be quiet a while since her appearance had changed and Choji seemed much older than he his currently. Finally, she simply shook her head before pushing the thoughts of the dream from her mind, chalking it up to missing Kakashi and recent unsettling events. Upon crawling into bed, she snuggled up to Kakashi's pillow and took a deep breath then sighed, feeling a little more at peace and able to sleep a little more soundly.


	18. Departure

Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed chapter 17, and here is chapter 18! Thank you to **yyh-ygo-fma** and **jennku** for reviewing! Remember everyone, I love reviews so please, leave them! Now, on to chapter 18, enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, just my character, Ayumi.

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><p><strong>Chapter 18<strong>

As daily life began in the village, Ayumi finally reached the top of the steps that led to Sasuke's apartment. She wondered if he purposefully chose this apartment complex since it was so close to the former Uchiha compound and she was surprised to see, when she reached his door, that it was on the end of the building, meaning it had to have a direct view of the complex. She shook her head and knocked on the door.

'_A bit sadistic…to live so close to where your entire family was killed…' _She thought.

The door quickly opened and she smiled as Sasuke blinked in confusion before steeling his expression and stated:

"What do you want, Ayumi?" He asked coldly.

"I want to talk, Sasuke. Can I come in?" She replied.

"No," He responded just as coldly.

She sighed before asking, "The roof then?"

After having a slight staring contest for several minutes, Sasuke sighed and replied, "Fine. Since I have a feeling you won't leave me alone otherwise."

The young shinobi led the way to the rooftop stairwell and upon arriving, they sat down on a ledge overlooking the village with their backs to the Uchiha compound.

"Now, what do you want?" Sasuke questioned again.

Ayumi sighed a bit, "I just wanted to talk, Sasuke. I made a promise to Kakashi to look after you while he was gone," she paused slightly, "I also know of your situation, Sasuke, and I thought you might want to talk about that as well."

He scoffed, "You know nothing about me…and I don't need looking after. What's this really about?"

"I was walking through the village last night before heading home and I saw you conversing with some suspicious characters. They seemed dangerous, considering they had you tied against a tree," She replied coolly.

"What are you trying to say? I already told you I don't need looking after, not from anyone, not from Kakashi and, least of all, not from you," Sasuke replied with agitation lacing his voice.

Ayumi sighed once more, "You need looking after if you're considering doing something as foolish as seeking out a man as dangerous as Orochimaru. You want power, but power is a terrible thing to desire. You can lose yourself in the quest for it. I know why you want it too, losing your family is one of the worst things in the world, but revenge is never the answer."

Sasuke stood up and began shouting, "What do you know about it, huh?"

Ayumi stood and remained calm as she replied, "I lost all of my family too, Sasuke. Granted, it was one by one, but I still feel the sting of loneliness and, if Kakashi didn't tell you, I was held captive for four years when I sacrificed myself for a mission," she chuckled a bit, "And don't you think I didn't want revenge? Revenge against the people who took my family from me? Revenge against the men who tortured me? I did. I developed a desire for revenge, but I realized that seeking out revenge can make one weak. It takes a stronger person to forgive those who hurt you and through that forgiveness, you can find a power far greater than revenge can ever offer you."

The Uchiha shook his head, "You act like you know everything about it, but you know nothing! You can never understand my pain and what I must do!"

He turned to leave but Ayumi caught his arm in a firm grip before speaking softly, "It's time for you to listen. So, know this. If you do leave, you will throw away the only home you've **ever** known. You will throw away the only friends you've **ever **had for a place and people you don't even know. The quest for power is also the quest that leads to self destruction."

Sasuke shook his arm out of her grip before growing silent as he began walking back to the door.

She sighed and stated, "Just think about it, Sasuke."

She turned and leapt off of the building and began heading towards her and Kakashi's apartment, unsure if she even got through to him.

* * *

><p>That night, as Ayumi sat in the apartment reading an earth jutsu scroll, she began feeling lonely. So, she promptly rolled up the scroll, grabbed a light jacket and threw it on before leaving the apartment. She sighed as she walked through the village, enjoying the cool breeze on her face and the moonlight illuminating the trees and the water from the nearby river. She wondered, as she walked, when Kakashi would return from his mission and the loneliness grew inside her. This feeling only intensified when she glanced in a nearby restaurant and saw Asuma and Kurenai having a date. She smiled at them before quickly walking away, heading somewhere to clear her head.<p>

She paused as she reached the top of a hill in the village and looked down, blinking as she saw Sasuke conversing with Sakura near the eastern gate of the village. Having a feeling of dread descending upon her, she started to approach, but thought against it and sighed. She turned and began walking to the memorial stone, deciding to honor her family and Kakashi's friends in an attempt to ease her feelings of loneliness.

It was only after Sasuke saw Ayumi leave that he rendered Sakura unconscious in order to leave without notice and alarm.

* * *

><p>The following morning, Ayumi awoke from a very troubled sleep. As she sat up in the bed, she got a sinking feeling in her stomach and knew that something was amiss. When she reminisced about the events of yesterday, the feeling grew stronger as she thought about Sasuke. Climbing out of bed quickly, she dressed rapidly and dashed down the street towards the Hokage's office.<p>

Upon arrival, she burst into the room, surprising Tsunade and Shizune who were looking over several scrolls containing city plans for the rebuilding of Konoha.

"Ayumi! What on Earth-" Tsunade began before Ayumi interrupted.

"Tsuande-sama, I'm terribly sorry, but I believe there is something wrong."

The older woman chuckled, "Ayumi. If I did my job based on bad feelings and vibes, I would have shinobi running around this village like chickens with their heads cut off."

Ayumi shook her head, "Please, let me explain."

Tsuande conceded and began listening intently as Ayumi started recounting the events concerning Sasuke as of late. When she reached the point in her story of seeing Sasuke conversing with a distressed Sakura, Tsunade stopped her, stating:

"Go to the mission room and get Genma and Aoba. Send one of them to Sasuke's apartment and the other to search the village. Then, go to where you saw Sasuke last night and search for anything suspicious. If you find anything, inform me immediately and have the others inform me of anything they find."

Ayumi nodded and quickly left her office. After delivering the orders to the two jonin, she quickly headed towards her destination and gasped at what she saw. She approached Sakura slowly before seeing that she was alive and then quickly awoke her.

"Oh…hello Ayumi-san…" Sakura said, a bit dazed.

"Sakura. Quickly, what happened last night?" Ayumi stated, growing very worried.

"Last…night?" Sakura repeated slowly before her eyes widened, "Sasuke…he…"

Ayumi closed her eyes, knowing that the worst had occurred. With Sakura in tow, she quickly returned to the Hokage's office where Sakura told how she tried to stop Sasuke while Ayumi leaned against the wall outside with her eyes closed.

_'I failed…I failed Kakashi….' _ She thought as she shook her head a bit.

"Ayumi! Come in here," Tsuande called, pulling Ayumi out of her reverie.

She quickly entered the Hokage's office as Sakura left and replied, "Yes, Lady Tsunade?"

Tsunade rubbed her forehead as she sighed, "I need you to head out to find Shikamaru Nara, Neji Hyuuga, Choji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka, and Naruto Uzumaki. They're going to be the team to go after Sasuke."

Ayumi blinked, "A bunch of genin and one chunin? Lady Tsunade, are you-"

"Don't question me. We're short on shinobi as it, but I feel that these young ninja are perfect for the job."

Ayumi nodded, taking the mission scroll Tsunade had prepared before quickly leaving and setting off after Shikamaru first then the others.

* * *

><p>Kakashi stopped outside of the western gate of the village, took a deep breath before smiling. He couldn't help deny that it felt very good to return from a successful mission, but he also couldn't deny that having Ayumi to return to was very wonderful indeed. As he entered the village, he waved to the jonin and chunin guarding the village entrance before beginning to head to the Hokage's office. In a sense of anti-procrastination, Kakashi found the time to finish his mission report so he could, hopefully, spend more time with Ayumi. However, a distressed Iruka approached him. Concerned thoughts for Ayumi filled his head, before questioning in a stern voice as the chunin approached him:<p>

"Iruka, is something wrong?"

The man nodded and replied, "Tsunade-sama needs you immediately. It's about Sasuke."

Kakashi's eye widened before he thanked the man and headed off to Tsuande's office quickly while thinking:

_'Damn it, Sasuke….you chose to left when I wouldn't be here to stop you…'_


	19. The Chase

Hello everyone! Here is chapter 19 and a resolution to the events of chapter 18, surprise! Anyway, thank you to my loyal reviewers **yyh-ygo-fma**, **jennku**, and **aniwolfgirl** for reviewing! They always make me smile, so please keep it up! And you silent reviews, please review! I would love to hear your thoughts! Remember, I do not own Naruto or its characters, just those of my own creation. Now, on with the story!

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><p><strong>Chapter 19<strong>

Kakashi stepped out of Tsunade's office and sighed after hearing the full details of Sasuke's defection. However, while concerned for his student, he was more concerned about the team going after him, especially Naruto. As he headed to his apartment to, hopefully, find Ayumi to have her join him as back up, he thought about the situation at hand.

_'No doubt Orochimaru sent someone or some sort of team to escort Sasuke back to his lair and they wouldn't be easy to defeat. They could all very easily lose their lives on this endeavor. If I hadn't had that mission, this might've been avoided.'_

Kakashi entered his apartment and smiled as he saw Ayumi tightening the straps on her armor with a very full kunai pouch on the table in front of her. She lifted her head and smiled before hugging Kakashi tightly.

"Thank, Kami, you're here! I'm so sorry that I couldn't help him," she stated as she released him.

He shook his head, "Don't worry about it. We can get him back. Now, get that pouch and let's go."

She blinked and asked while strapping the pouch to her hip, "You're letting me come with you?"

Kakashi smiled, "I wouldn't have it any other way. Now," he flashed through hand signs before smiled as, once the smoke dispersed, "hello, Pakkun."

"Yo, Kakashi, Ayumi," the dog replied before looking at his summoner, "What do you need?"

The man knelt and asked, "Do you still remember Sasuke's scent from the chunin exams?"

Pakkun nodded while tapping his nose, "My nose never lies and it never forgets. What's that little punk done this time?"

"He's defected. We need your help in tracking him," Ayumi chimed in.

The dog nodded, "Alright then. What are we doing just standing here? Let's go!"

With that, the small dog ran out of the apartment and Kakashi and Ayumi quickly followed him, both of them hoping for the best.

* * *

><p>As they arrived at the aftermath of Choji's battle, they began to grow very, very worried as they inspected the type of opponent the young shinobi were going up against. Ayumi noticed a cursed mark similar to that of Sasuke's on the boy and Kakashi feared that this sight would greet them as they traveled onward. After checking to make sure Choji was alive, both of them left clones at the scene to help the genin back to the village while waiting for the ANBU recon team to arrive. They then quickly followed Pakkun as he picked back up on the trail, hoping for better. However, their hopes were immediately dashed as they arrived at Neji's battle who seemed to be worse off than Choji. They left clones with Neji as well and quickly departed, now expecting the worse as they continued forward.<p>

* * *

><p>Ayumi and Kakashi were surprised upon arriving at Kiba's battle to find Kankuro of Suna there.<p>

"What are you doing here?" The masked man asked, already on the defensive if any sign of betrayal was given.

Kiba waved a bit, "Don't worry about it, Kakashi-sensei. Without him, you'd be finding me dead instead of that Sound guy."

Ayumi looked at Kankuro, "Thank you."

The puppet master shrugged it off before Kakashi left a clone behind to administer some sort of first aide to Akamaru who had sustained a lot of damage from the battle before they continued forward, more hopeful now after receiving word that Temari and Gaara had gone ahead to help the others.

Relief washed over them as they arrived at the aftermath of Shikamaru's battle to see he was very much alive thanks to Temari. Following the previous pattern, Ayumi left a clone behind.

"By the way, Kakashi-sensei," Shikamaru began, drawing their attention, "Naruto was just ahead of me."

Ayumi's eyes widened slightly before Kakashi replied, "Thank you, Shikamaru, and thank you, Temari."

They both quickly doubled their speed at the thought of finally catching up to Naruto and Sasuke.

* * *

><p>To their surprise, however, the battleground they arrived upon was filled with massive amounts of sand. They both knew that it was Gaara's work and, when they found him, they were shocked to see a drunken Rock Lee with him.<p>

"Hello, Kakashi and Ayumi," The Kazekage stated.

They both bowed slightly before Ayumi asked, "What happened?"

"Orochimaru sent out a reinforcement that Lee intercepted upon arrival to free Naruto from fighting. From what I gathered when I arrived, he had mistaken medicine for sake. Don't worry, he's fine now."

Kakashi nodded, "Thank you, Gaara. Konoha owes a debt to you and your family for aiding us."

The redhead shook his head, "It is the least we could do after what happened during the Chunin exams."

They both nodded and left two clones behind incase Lee were to awaken and become rowdy. Before they left, Gaara stated:

"Naruto went ahead when Lee arrived to fight Sasuke. They should be close by."

They both thanked him again and quickly leapt off, speeding up even further.

"Kakashi…are they…" Ayumi began.

He nodded, "Yes. Based on our path, I would say they are fighting at the Valley of the End."

"Ironic, isn't it?" She asked.

"Yes…yes it is," Kakashi replied.

She bit her lip slightly before asking, "Do you think we can arrive to intervene in time?"

Kakashi sighed, "I hope so…but I rarely get what I want…"

* * *

><p>Sasuke stared down at Naruto who was floating on top of the water. His eyes were glazed over as he stared down at his former friend; his scratched headband lying on Naruto's chest. He felt mixed emotions as he wondered if he should kill his best friend.<p>

_'Face me when you have eyes like mine….Come to me…and kill me then!'_

Itachi's words echoed in his mind from that wretched day, but he knew the price that those words held.

_'I would have to kill my own best friend…but if I did that…would I be no better than him? He killed his after all…' _Sasuke thought to himself.

_'The quest for power is the quest that often leads to self-destruction.'_

Sasuke pondered Ayumi's words that filled his mind at that moment. He surprisingly realized that she was right: the power of the mangekyo sharingan would lead to a loss of some of his humanity. So, he decided that, for now, he would retain some of his decency as a human being.

He quickly leapt to the top of the gorge before walking off into the forest to head towards untold power.

* * *

><p>Ayumi and Kakashi arrived as the light sprinkle of rain turned into an all out downpour. They gazed at the havoc that had been wrought by Sasuke and Naruto, both of them very stunned.<p>

"Kakashi, should we continue onward?" Pakkun asked.

The masked man sighed, "With the rain…Sasuke's scent is lost. Does anyone have eyes on Naruto?"

Finally, Ayumi noticed something floating on the water and quickly leapt down by the blonde's side. She listened for his breathing before confirming what she heard with a pulse and called up to Kakashi.

"Kakashi! He's alive! Naruto's alive!"

Ayumi scooped him up and leapt back up by Pakkun and Kakashi before laying him down on the ground and trying to wake him up. When that failed, she then began inspecting his wounds.

"I failed, Ayumi…I failed Sasuke…" Kakashi stated solemnly.

Ayumi sighed while looking up at him, "We both did, Kakashi…"

"I failed my student…" He repeated, slipping into a daze.

Ayumi stood, barely supporting Naruto in the process, and stated, "Kakashi. Listen to me. You have the chance to not fail another one…Naruto is alive and needs our help…His wounds are very serious, most of them being from the use of the demon fox chakra. He needs Tsuande and we…**you**…can get him back to the village in time to save him."

Kakashi blinked as he listened to Ayumi before looking at her and nodding, "You're right." He took Naruto from her before dashing off to towards the village.

Ayumi smiled as she watched him go before sensing eyes on her and looked down at Pakkun, asking, "Yes?"

"Why did you phrase that the way you did?" The dog questioned.

She sighed, "Because, Kakashi needed to snap out of the state of self-loathing and self-pity he was falling into. I made it so that he was the only one who could save Naruto. That way, he would have a chance to redeem himself for failing Sasuke…in a way."

Pakkun smiled, "Thank you, Ayumi. I always had a feeling that you would be right for Kakashi. Turns out I was right."

She knelt down in front of Pakkun, laughing softly, "Well, thank you," she scratched behind his ear, "Now, would you like me to carry you back to the village? You've worked very hard today."

Pakkun quirked an eyebrow as he tilted his head towards her touch, "You know I have more stamina than the average shinobi….and I'm just as fast," He smirked, "You want to cuddle on the way back to the village, don't you? And touch my supple paws?"

She blushed, "Well…I…but…maybe…Yes."

They both laughed before she scooped Pakkun up and they leapt off after Kakashi.

* * *

><p>Unbeknownst to all of them, a lone figure had been observing the battle and the events that followed. He rose up from the ground, dressed in an Akatsuki cloak, and watched Ayumi and Pakkun leap off towards Konoha. He was the Akatsuki spy known as Zetsu and was a very strange looking, plant-like man.<p>

"**How interesting…" **The black half crooned.

"_Yes, how interesting indeed…." _The white half replied.

"**Leader-sama will definitely be interested in the outcome of the battle…"**

"_And? What of the events after?"_

The black half smirked, **"Yes…he will want to know that the Copy Ninja has found someone to care for…but first, how about we do some research on her? Hmm? To be more prepared for our report…"**

"_Yes…that sounds marvelous….Ayumi…"_

"**Hmm...****Ayumi…Osoi…what is there to know about you?"**

When the conversation ended, Zetsu, a smirk plastered across both halves of his face, sunk back into the ground.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I didn't want to put this at the beginning of the chapter, but Chapter 20 will be the last chapter for this story as it concludes the "Pre-Shippuden" arc without getting into filler. However, as much as I thought I wouldn't want to or have the time to, the ideas for a sequel have been bugging the crap out of me, so I began writing one and I'm over half-way done with it. Hopefully, I will finish it up some time next week and once it goes through the revision process, I will begin posting it. As some of you may have noticed, I try to keep things cannon, but my very general familiarity with Shippuden will allow me to add more of my own personal touch to things. Also, since Shippuden is unfinished currently, the ending will quite possibly be different from the true outcome; it will be based on the trends I have noticed in the manga, but will probably be wrong. In other words, I feel that the sequel will be more creative and you learn more about Ayumi. So, I probably won't post Chapter 20 today, but I will probably post it tomorrow, to finish up this story.**


	20. The End

Hello everyone! Here is the final chapter of Redemption! I hope everyone enjoyed it! Thank you to **jennku,** **yyh-ygo-fma, **and **aniwolfgirl** for reviewing. Also, thank you yyh-ygo-fma for reminding me that Gaara didn't become Kazekage until later. In my mind, since his father was killed back during the chunin exams, he became Kazekage pretty quick. Oh well mix it up a little, doesn't really affect the story overall. Please, keep the reviews coming and if you haven't reviewed, please do. I love reading them. I have about four or five chapters left to write for the sequel. So, I really hope by the end of next week I can begin posting the chapters, but don't hold me to it. Anyway, enough babble! Remember, I do not own Naruto, just my own characters!

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><p><strong>Chapter 20<strong>

The lavender-haired kunoichi sighed as she walked out of, a now sober, Rock Lee's hospital room. Like she had done with Choji, Neji, and Kiba, she commended him for his bravery and skills in battle. They all had thanked her for her praise, but they all seemed upset that they had failed on their first major mission. As Ayumi walked down the hallway towards Naruto's room, she sighed as she saw Shikamaru sitting on a nearby bench. She sat next to him, remaining silent for several moments before stating:

"You all were very brave, Shikamaru. And, you did very, very well in leading the team."

"We failed, Ayumi-sensei…I failed," he replied.

'_If I had a ryo for every time I've heard that phrase…'_ she thought, before shaking her head and saying, "Yes, you failed. If you considered your mission to be retrieving Sasuke then that is a very accurate statement. But, if you consider that your mission is to bring everyone home **alive**, then no. You didn't fail. You succeeded. You kept them all alive, Shikamaru, and that is something to be very proud of."

She sighed as he appeared to not be responding before she looking up and saw Shikaku approaching. She quickly stood and walking to meet him before speaking softly to him:

"He's taking this very hard. Maybe you can do better as his dad."

Shikaku nodded before walking over to his son and walking him out of the hospital towards the Nara compound.

Ayumi sighed as she watched him leave before heading to Naruto's room before standing in the doorway as Naruto talked to Sakura. She noticed a depressed looking Kakashi sitting in the corner and she sighed.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan! I made you a promise and I won't break it!" Naruto exclaimed as he punched the air above his head before wincing from his bruised ribs.

Sakura forced a smile, "Thank you, Naruto. So, the battle…it…"

Naruto grinned, "It was amazing! Well…it sucked because I had to fight my best friend…but that rooftop fight we had looked like training in comparison to this fight!"

Sakura blinked before looking a little depressed; her face betrayed her sense of inferiority. She stood and excused herself from the room after greeting Ayumi. When the pink-haired girl walked past her, Ayumi moved and sat in a chair next to Naruto.

"How do you feel, Naruto?" She asked.

He smiled, "Sore, but never better!"

"Really?" Ayumi questioned, sarcastically and with disbelief lacing her voice.

Naruto sighed before exclaiming, "No. I mean, how could Sasuke do this? How could he just leave? And how could he beat me?"

Ayumi looked to Kakashi for support, but noticing he appeared to be at a loss for words over the situation, she said to Naruto, "There are reasons that people have for doing what they do that we can never fully comprehend. And as for beating you, well, do you know what you have to do about that Naruto? Do you know what you have to do now?"

The blonde blinked and looked at her, heavily confused, "What?"

She smirked, "You train. You train your heart out and get to the level where you can defeat Sasuke and then bring him back home to his friends."

Naruto smiled brightly, "Yeah…Yeah! That's what I gotta go! I just have to get stronger! And I'll bring him back, just like I promised!"

Ayumi nodded and looked at Kakashi, who was smiling at her before she heard someone enter the room. She tipped her head slightly in a bow and said:

"Hello, Jiraiya-sama."

The older man nodded to both her and Kakashi then waving at Naruto before stating:

"The intel we have on Orochimaru reports that he switched bodies before Sasuke arrived. He'll be safe for another three years."

Naruto smiled, "Whatever that first part means, but the rest, great! Plenty of time to train, Jiraiya-sensei!"

The man scoffed, "What are you talking about? You just need to forget about this whole 'Sasuke retrieval' thing, Naruto. It's a useless endeavor to bring back someone who willingly left…trust me…I made the same promise to Tsunade about Orochimaru and…well look!…"

"Pssht! You're not me, Jiraiya-sensei! I can do anything!" Naruto replied, "Just like Ayumi-sensei just said, if I train and get strong, I can bring Sasuke back!"

Jiraiya shot Ayumi a dirty look, which she countered with an apologetic look, before sighing:

"Well, if Orochimaru is going to be training Sasuke for the next three years, then I guess, unfortunately, I can do the same for you."

Naruto cheered loudly, "All right, Jiraiya-sensei!"

A nurse entered the room and apologized but informed them that they were causing a ruckus past visiting hours and needed to leave. They all apologized and left Naruto to recover.

* * *

><p>Ayumi leaned against Kakashi as they walked through the village while he had his arm wrapped around her. They both sighed before Ayumi looked up at him:<p>

"What do we do now, Kakashi?"

He stopped and smiled at her, "Well, there are missions to do…training to be done….and...fall even harder for you."

She blushed and kissed him quickly through the mask before pulling back and smiling at him, "You know, Kakashi. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me."

He reached up and caressed her cheek gently, speaking softly, "You're mistaken. I wouldn't have anything without you."

She blushed even more before hugging him tightly. As they separated, Ayumi smirked before leaning in and whispering something softly in his ear then dashing off towards the apartment.

Kakashi blinked, processing what was said to him before grinning cheekily beneath the mask and began chasing off after her, "Oh, you naughty girl."

And as Kakashi ran off after the woman who had given him a chance at redemption for his past deeds, he forgot all of the things in this world that he couldn't change..for now.

**The End**


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